Changing The Past
by Elf117
Summary: When Emma and her friends find themselves on the train to Hogwarts after a Harry potter book marathon, they are faced with a big problem. Do the help Harry and friends or do they ignore them? Do they tell Harry that they know everything that is going to happen? ABANDONED. Picked up again in Changing from Within. ABANDONED
1. Goodbye Normality

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter One_

Awakening

"Emma! Turn that light off!" My mums irritated voice rings through my shut bedroom door and distracts me from my reading.

"In a minute! I'm on the last page!" I say back, careful to keep my own irritation from showing.

"Fine. You have five minutes." She calls back, her voice fading as she begins to transcend back down the stairs.

I immediately return to my book. The very last page ever to be written on Harry Potter's journey. I sniffle in happiness as Harry waves his son off onto the Hogwarts Express, all is well for him at last. He has his girl, his friends and his family with him.

Reaching the last line, I grin as I close the book and drop it onto my nightstand before taking a hold of my phone, stuffing it under my pillow, turning my light of and lie down in bed, staring at the door on the other side of my room.

Soon enough, the quiet footsteps of my mother climb up the stairs, pause outside my room and then carry on back down again. After hearing the sitting room door creak shut, I take my phone out, flip on the screen and unlock it to see three messages awaiting me.

The first is from my ginger friend, Steph.

_Finished! Midnight exactly. I can't believe I actually read all seven books! _

Grinning, I send my reply.

_2 hours be4 me as well! Well dne! And I told u u could do it! Much better than the films, aren't they?_

I send it then go onto the next text, from Megan.

_damn it! My mum has made me go to bed! Can't finish it tonight. Got 2 chapters left though!_

My grin turns into a wry smile.

_looks like you owe me a fiver! Finished._

The last text is from Hannah.

_finished! Yes! I so wish J.K would write about Albus and James though. I wanna read about those two :'(_

I immediately reply in kind.

_finished 2. And well done! You finished in under a year! You gotta deserve an oscar for that! And yeah, I totally agree. But, that's what fan fiction is for :-D_

After sending the three texts, I turn the phone off, put it on charge then lay it on top of the book. I then settle into my covers and close my eyes, thinking of Hogwarts, magic and Quidditch as I drift off into sleep.


	2. Train?

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Two_

Train!?

As I slowly drift back from my dreams, a rumbling, vibration feeling fills my senses. In my now somehow seated position, my head is lying against a hard, smooth, cool glasslike substance, sitting on a comfortable yet straight backed chair. Murmurs and slight chatting come from the other side of my make shift headrest.

This is not my bedroom.

Cautiously, I decide to open my eyes. My face is smudged up against a see through glass and, looking through it, I see a similar glass on the opposite side of a small hallway. The other glass panel has a red curtain covering it from the inside. I lift my head to find the glass panel is in fact, a door.

I turn my eyes to the room I am in. The first object to catch my eye is a young, auburn haired female in black jeans and a black hoodie.

Frowning, I continue looking in the carriage to see three others in the compartment, a tall boy, and two girls, one of them blinking around, much like me.

"Hullo." I say bluntly, speech still addled by sleep.

"Hi." She says back, lifting an arm to push her short blonde hair from her face, next to her a large window gives us a view of countryside passing by.

"I'm Emma, and you?" I ask, looking back at her.

"Hannah." She answers, eyeing me warily. "Any idea where we are?"

"On a train?" I Answer-ask.

"How did we get here? Last I remember is going to bed last night."

"Same. But this is definitely not where I fell asleep."

"Do you know who they are?" I ask Hannah, my eyes going back to her.

"No." She says, looking out the glass door distractedly.

"Okay then. What about where we are?" I try again.

"You answered that one, we're on a train." She replies, light blue eyes flicking towards the window.

"Okay. So neither of us know where we are. We have just been packed in a train and you are okay with it?" I ask skeptically.

"I only woke up about a minute before you. And there's no point crying about it. I presumed one of you would know." She replies.

"And your parents? Your family? You were moved here in the middle of the night!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, but this is a dream." She answers.

"It doesn't feel like a dream to me." I inform her before a grunt from beside me distracts the two of us.

The only boy in the compartment jerks up, looking around before fixing dark blue eyes on Hannah.

"Where 'm I?" I asks slowly as he stretches.

"On a train." I answer, he turns to look at me.

"Well no duh Sherlock!" He groans. "Uh...who are you?" He then asks, his eyes switching to Hannah.

"I'm Emma and that's Hannah." I tell him.

"I'm Gregor." He says, looking to the petite ginger in front of him.

"God! That cannot be comfy!" He winces.

Hannah and I look to the girl to see she was sitting straight backed with her chin tilted, leaning on her chest.

"She's gonna have one sore neck when she wakes." I agree, wincing.

Then something triggers.

"Gregor?" I repeat, looking from him to Hannah to the ginger. "No freaking way!" I then shout, causing the auburn girl in front of me to jerk awake, glaring around her.

"What?" Gregor hisses

"Gregor Forester?" I ask. His head shoots back to mine, eyes wide.

"How do you-?" He begins but I cut him off, turning to Hannah.

"Hannah Gray?" I say to her hesitantly, she nods, looking wearily between me and Gregor.

"I'm Emma!" I exclaim, but they both give me blank looks as the glaring girl begins to sit up. "Emma Nelson." I finish, a grin appearing on my face.

"Well that certainly is an odd coincidence," Gregor says, "but last I remember you were all 18 years old, not, what? Ten? This is some weird ass dream!"

"How the heck do I know?" I answer.

"Huh? Wha's goin' on?" The new awakened girls glare had turned into a blank expression.

"We've all been kidnapped." I inform her with a wry grin.

"Huh? Why are you happy about that? Who are you?" I roll my eyes at her.

"Same questions every time." I mock sigh before leaning forward and shaking the still sleeping ginger.

Steph, Hannah, Gregor and Emma," Gregor answers Megan as Steph looks up, blinking innocently at us.

"You better have tea." She tells me, light blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Apparently we've been kidnapped," Megan tells Steph.

"So? Where's my tea?" She asks, glare turning from me to Megan.

Before any of us could answer, the compartment door slides open and we all turn to face the small, bushy brown haired girl who walks in.

"Hi, have any of you seen a toad? Neville lost his," she asks in a prime voice, stepping to the side to allow us to see a plump, black haired boy sniveling silently.

"No, sorry." I say, staring at the girl with eyes wide open, realization dawning. "You could get an older person to try a summoning charm though."

"What?" Hannah, Gregor and Megan exclaim, looking at me as though I was nuts.

"Why didn't I think of that?" The girl complains, slumping slightly.

"We can't all be geniuses like me." I tell her with a grin.

"I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?" The girl informs me, holding out her hand, I take it, a grin forming, I don't care if this is a dream or not, this is awesome.

"Emma." I tell her, shaking the hand. "That's Gregor next to me, Hannah at the end, Steph there and Megan opposite me." I inform her, the others are all frozen in vague versions of shock.

"Are you all first years too?" She asks, I nod. "Great! What houses do you want to be in? I've read all about them in-"

"Hogwarts: A History" I answer for her, "don't you have a toad to find?"

"Oh yeah! Thanks." Hermione says before turning and leaving, taking Neville with her.

I turn back to my friends

"Oh. My. Goodness." I exclaim alongside Gregor.

"What!?" Steph snaps, glaring from Gregor to me to the door.

"That was Hermione Granger!" I inform her.

"So that means..." Hannah begins, Megan, Gregor and I answer her.

"We're going to Hogwarts!" We shout simultaneously.

"But we're muggles." Steph informs us slowly, "we can't do magic."

"We can't be on the express if we can't do magic." Gregor answers. "And how do you explain us all being eleven if we can't do magic?"

"A dream?" Hannah answers this time.


	3. Sorting

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Three_

Sorting

After ten full minutes of jubilation, Gregor yet again asked the question niggling at the back of my mind.

"Seriously though, why do we look ten?"

"I'm guessing were 11, to be going to Hogwarts," Megan answers, with nothing else, we all shrug.

"And Harry, are we gonna try and help him?" I add in.

"Well yes!" Gregor voices with a well duh! Roll of his eyes.

"Befriend him and tell him the future!? He'll think we're nuts!" Hannah adds.

"Well help him subtly? Pretend we have prophetic dreams or something?" Megan asks, I frown, that could work, but we'd have to research it, if we befriend Harry,"

"We befriend Hermione," we finish together.

"What about Halloween? We can't put them in danger if we know about it! They're kids at this stage!"

"Emma, they're kids for the next seven years, and so are we!"

"But we have the minds of of age witches, therefore were responsible."

"No, Dumbledore's responsible."

"Dumbledore won't do jack shit!"

The cabin resounds in silence. The other four looking at me in shock.

"I agree with Emma," Hannah starts weakly, I've heard all the reasoning's behind Dumbledore's being no help," she adds at the three glares turning her way.

"And what are they?" Megan asked.

The door opens, cutting me of pre rant,

"Anything from the trolley dears?" The little lady asks, my stomach plummets, eighteen in mind or not, sweeties for breakfast is appealing as hell.

Desperately checking my pockets, my eyes light up at the unfamiliar feel of coinage, and a paper note, talking them out, I see two silver coins, three brown coins and a gold.

Knut, sickle and galleon.

"Yes please, I grin, getting up and looking out the sweets.

Two cauldron cakes and three fizzing whiz bees later, it's Gregors turn. Who needs to borrow my two sickles and galleon to pay for his bucket load of sweets. I get a Knut back.

"Between you and Harry", I say to Gregor, "they'll be no sweets left." He just grins.

I turn to the paper which had been in my pocket.

_Miss Nelson, you and your friends have been brought back in order to help the wizarding world which was falling into disrepair in your current time. By befriending and changing the views of certain classmates, I am sure you all can do wonders to save our world. _

_Many thanks, D. _

"Huh?"

"What?" Steph asks after swallowing a mouthful of sweets.

"Read this," I tell her, the other four lean in and read it together.

"Who's D? Dumbledore?" Hannah asks.

"No, it can't be, Dumbledore dies, remember?" Gregor puts in.

"So we've been pulled back by some magic, does this mean we have magic?"

"Let's find out," Megan grins, pulling a piece of wood from her pocket and grinning.

"Winguardian Liviosa,"

As the sky outside darkened, we quieted once more, Steph falling back asleep. Eventually, we were jerked back to awareness by a loud voice filling the carriage.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Looking around bleary eyed, I catch sight of the luggage above Steph and Megan's head and snort, beginning to giggle.

"What?" Hannah asks, leaning forward to stare at me past Gregor.

"Imagine taking these on the boats," I say through the giggles, nodding towards the suitcases. Steph smiles sleepily and we lapse back into a tired silence.

When the train does stop, we join the end of the throng heading out of the train and out onto the cold platform, shivering and pulling our cloaks tighter as we look around.

Over the heads of everyone, I notice a small, yellow flame, nice and smug inside a lamp. I grin as I hear the familiar voice.

"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Hagrid's voice calls over the thunderous chattering of the students around us. I grin, my heart racing as we walk over to the ginormous, hairy man.

Next to me stands Draco Malfoy, platinum blonde hair shining in the tiny light as he mutters about the oaf. I ignore him, not wanting him to spoil my mood.

The path Hagrid leads us down is pitch black, all I can see is Malfoy's almost pure white hair. Behind me Steph has grabbed the back of my cloak for support as we blindly make our way down.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid eventually calls, him and his tiny light disappearing round a corner, "jus' 'round this bend here."

In front, as people rounded the corner, they all said "oooooh" Malfoy pushes the girl in front of him then rounds the corner. I am next.

"Wow!" I say as I turn, seeing the large, glittering castle in front of me sitting perilously on the edge of a huge, black cliff.

"Wow, it's big!" Steph whispers from behind, releasing her hold on my cloak.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid informs us, drawing my attention to a fleet of small boats floating on the murky water.

With a silent discussion, Steph, Megan and I end up in one boat, Gregor and Hannah in another with one other male.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouts just as I get comfortable in the boat. "Right then - FORWARD!"

We all move off, gliding smoothly over the dark water, everyone silent as we gaze up at the slowly nearing castle.

I subconsciously reach into my pocket before pulling my hand back and groaning softly in disappointment.

"What?" Megan and Steph ask at once, turning to glare at me.

"My phone." I groan, staring sadly at the castle. "No phone. No Internet. No tv."

"Oh!" Steph realizes with a start. "Not good."

"Supernatural, Doctor Who, Grimm. The new Hobbit movie. We're gonna miss it all." My eyes sting as I imagine the catch up we will have to do.

"Yep. But being at Hogwarts makes it worth it all." Megan tries to comfort me.

"Heads down!" Hagrid orders suddenly as the boats near a narrow part of the cliff. I bend my head, staring at my clasped hands which are starting to become clammy, despite the coldness in the air.

The boats come to a stop and we all clamber out, rocks and pebbles crunching under our feet as we look up to the castle.

"Oy, you there!" Hagrid calls, looking past me and to the right, directly at a small, chubby boy. "Is this your toad?"

"Trevor!" Neville cries, holding out his hands for the slimy creature.

Hagrid then proceeds to lead us up to the stone steps, towards the huge oak door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got your toad?" Neville nods Hagrid raises a huge fist, knocking three times on the door.

It swung open and Professor McGonagall stood there, her black hair up in a tight bun, a stern expression on her face.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid informs her.

"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here" She pulls the door wider, allowing us to see the Entrance hall and clamber in.

The stone walls reached up and up, dwarfing us, I couldn't even see the ceiling, Harry was not exaggerating. In front was a magnificent marble staircase, leading further in. The urge to explore the endless corridors and rooms overcame me but I stayed still. I will have all year to do so.

"I can't wait to explore this place!" Steph whispers to me, eyes wide and a grin on her face.

"Ditto." I reply in equal wonder and excitement.

McGonagall leads us through a side door before turning to speak, everyone immediately falling silent as she does.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall begins, "the start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because while you..."

"How long do you think it took for her to perfect that speech?" I whisper to Steph and Megan of whom I am squished in the middle. Megan glares at me, telling me to shut up. Steph sniggers.

"Excuse me, do we have a problem?" McGonagall asks, turning her full glare in our direction.

"No, sorry miss," I murmur, feeling my face heat up as everyone turns to stare at us.

"As I was saying, at the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." She pointedly stares right at me as she says this.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten your self's up as much as you can while you are waiting." she glanced around, her eyes lingering on Neville and Ron, "I shall return when we are ready for you," She adds, "Please wait quietly." she left, and I turn to my friends as tons of conversations start at once.

"Yeah, that's smart," I begin with a snort, "believing we will remain quiet!" Megan rolls her eyes.

"What houses do you guys think you'll be in?" Hannah asks, "I'm either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

"Slytherin or Gryffindor," I answer immediately.

Several people next to us scream causing us to look up.

"What the-" Harry exclaims in the silence. Looking behind me, I see the ghosts slowly glide through the wall.

"Wow! Even better in real life!" I tell Megan Finlay who nods in agreement, eyes wide.

I spend the conversation staring at the silvery-white see-througness of the ghosts in wonder and, just as I'm about to ask how they talk when they don't breathe, Professor McGonagall walks back in.

"Move along now," She orders sharply, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts, to my disappointment, float away. "Now, form a line and follow me." I quickly jump behind Gregor, Megan lands up behind me and we walkout of the entrance hall and into the Great Hall.

Millions of candles hang around the walls and float above the tables, four huge tables each sitting a couple of hundred students.

From somewhere in front, I hear Hermione whisper about the ceiling. I refuse to look up, knowing that if I do I will end up tripping. Instead, I watch McGonagall. I watch her put a dirty, three legged stool down, the old, black sorting hat above it. I stare at the hat, counting down.

Three.

Two.

One.

The hat begins to sing a long, three minute song. I applause when it is over. Professor McGonagall steps forward, unrolling a long piece of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," She tells us before immediately shouting the first name.

"Abbot Hannah"

Pink faced, blonde haired Hannah stumbles out of the crowd, puts the hat on, covering her eyes and mouth. The hat takes a moment to decide before shouting it decision.

"Hufflepuff."

The table to our left claps and cheers as a smiling Hannah runs over to join them.

"Bones Susan." went up next, getting sorted into Hufflepuff as well, she runs over to sit next to Hannah.

"You'll be soon." I tell Steph, she gulps, going unnaturally pale.

"Boot Terry" goes to Ravenclaw, the table second to the left cheering for him.

"Brocklehurst Mandy" quickly joined Terry whilst Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor. The table to the far left clapping this time.

"Brown Stephanie." Steph gulps again before slowly walking over and picking up her hat. Her terrified face quickly vanishing under the black hat. It takes a couple minutes before a decision is finally made.

"Gryffindor." A grinning Steph then replaces the hat before running over to sit next to Lavender.

Millicent Bullstrode came after her, becoming the first Slytherin. Then Crabbe joined her before Justin-Finch-Flethly found himself in Ravenclaw. Another name I know personally came up after wards.

"Finlay Megan." I had to give Megan a push in order to force her to step up. The decision was a long one. Eventually, the hat opened its mouth.

"Hufflepuff." I raise an eyebrow as she joins the table. I had honestly expected her to be in Ravenclaw. After Megan was Seamus Finnegan before another name I knew yet not from the Potter universe came up.

"Forrester Gregor"

Gregor then proceeds to walk up to the stool.

"Ravenclaw." the hats decision was instantaneous.

After Gregor went Goyle who quickly joined Crabbe at the Slytherin table.

Hermione was called up after, sitting next to Steph once her house had been called.

"Gray Hannah,"

I smile encouragingly at Hannah as she nervously takes the hat. Her decision is another immediate one.

"Hufflepuff."

She grins as she walks over to sit next to Megan.

Neville is after Hannah, taking a seat opposite Hermione, Steph and Lavender. Two Slytherins, Morg McDougal and Draco Malfoy follow him. Then comes the name I have been both dreading and anticipating.

"Nelson Emma."


	4. Feast

"Nelson Emma."

I gulp, my feet suddenly jelly as I walk towards the hat, trying and failing miserably to ignore the thousands of eyes on me. Taking a seat on the stool, I place the musty hat on my head, thankfully hiding the stares.

'_Another from the future then, hmm?_' The hat asks as I settle on the seat. Not another instantaneous answer then, I think wryly.

'_Yeah, suppose it looks that way, huh?' I_ reply.

'_Two houses would suit you well_,' I am them informed, '_Slytherin or Gryffindor.'_

'_Why those two? Why not the other two?' I_ immediately ask.

'_You are not... Lets say docile enough for Hufflepuff and not nearly studious enough for Ravenclaw.' _

'_Fair enough_,' I agree with a shrug.

'_But you do have a curious mind, a very unique way of thinking_,' He tells me slowly, thinking it through.

'_In other words, clean and simple insanity_,' I answer dryly, grinning.

_'I think it's decided.' _

"Gryffindor."

I take the hat of and stare at it, "that wasn't exactly a unanimous decision, was it?" I mutter before handing the hat back to McGonagall whom is trying to contain a smile. I walk over to the Gryffindors and stand behind Steph and Hermionie.

"Budge up." I tell Hermione who, looking affronted, does so.

"I assume you didn't find anyone to summon the toad for you?" I ask Hermione who shakes her head before turning back to the table.

"What did you say to the hat?" Steph asks in a whisper.

"That this was not an agreed decision." I tell her, a playful glare on my face. Steph smirks, trying to mantain a snort and Hermionie rolls her eyes before telling me to shush.

I glance up at the hat, Micheal Moon gets sorted into Ravenclaw and Theodore Nott is called up.

"Bet he makes-" I begin, but the hat interrupts me.

"Slytherin."

"That," I finish with a frown, Hermionie glares at me.

Pansy was called next, a smug smile in her face as she puts the hat on. The Patil twins are after, Padma in Ravenclaw and Parvati joining us, taking a seat next to Hermionie. Harry is after, the roar coming from our table is deafening as he walks over to us.

Peter Perks then makes Ravenclaw before Mary-Sally Anne became a Hufflepuff.

"Seaton Adam." I jerk at the name of my boyfriend, watching as the minuscule guy swaggers up to the stool.

"What's he doing here? He doesn't like Harry Potter! Not scientific enough for him," I blink, eyes not moving from the immature guy. Out of the side of my eye, I see Steph trying to cover a laugh with her hand.

"Don't you start!" I glare at her, "what am I supposed to do? Continue being his girlfriend!? Were 11 years old we can't kiss or anything! It's the nineteen hundreds now!"

"Ravenclaw." The hat decides.

"That'll make things slightly easier." I say slowly, tracking him as he walks over to sit next to the tall form of Gregor.

"Well, I didn't doubt that for a second." Steph tells me with a grin. Look at Gregor!" She then snorts, her eyes on the Ravenclaw table. I glance over to see a furious Gregor, glaring daggers at the smaller, smirking form next to him.

"Uh, this isn't gonna end well," I mutter, suddenly fearing for the sanity of the other Ravenclaws.

Lisa Turpin, third last student goes to Ravenclaw.

Only two were left. Ron Weasley and Blaise Zagini. Once sorted, McGonagall takes the stool and the hat away and Dumbledore gets up. I stare at his pure white, super long beard in fascination.

"Welcome!" He says, a beaming smile just visible through the humongous beard. _He had to have used magic to get it that big! _"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words-" I say the next words along with him, having watched the movies far to many times. "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" I then laugh as he sits down and grab some food from the banquet.

"Is he - a bit mad?" I hear Harry ask Percy. I grin and answer him.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of madness!" I then stuff a chip in my mouth before reaching for a Yorkshire pudding. Nicholas, sitting opposite me, next to Harry, sadly watches us.

"That does look good." He says, eying Harry's steak. I smile apologetically at him.

"Can't you-" Harry begins, a frown on his face.

"Harry!" I scold, "you can't just ask someone if there able to eat or not!"

"No, no, it's no bother." Nicholas answers sadly, " I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," he tells us, "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself!" He then exclaims, looking slightly angry at himself. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy- porting ton at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" Ron suddenly buts in, from the other side of Harry. "my brothers told me about you - your Nearly Headless Nick!"

I tune out of the conversation, knowing Sir Nick showing us his neck will make me spew. I turn to Steph instead who is sitting back, watching them, her eyes focused on Nick.

"Steph," I warn quietly.

"What?" He asks turning to look at me.

"I wouldn't look at Nick-" yet Stephs eyes had already traveled back to Nick and I see them widen before she pales dramatically. "He's gonna show his neck.," I finish pathetically as Steph turns away, a greenish tint on her face.

"That is the most revolting thing I have ever seen." She informs me as Nick replaces his head.

"So- new Gryffindors!" Nick continues as if nothing had happened, "I hope your going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindor have never gone so long without winning. Slytherin have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Barron's becoming almost unbearable- he's the Slytherin ghost."

I look over to the see a very unhappy Draco sitting between a large, blood stained ghost and one of his bodyguards.

Puddings appear right at that moment and immediately I grab a ton of strawberrys and a jam donught. I put a deliciously soft, juicy strawberry in my mouth, savoring the flavor and turn to Steph.

She has a full plate. Two apple pies, Ice cream - I take a guess it is vanilla flavored - a handful of strawberries and some jelly. Everyone starts to talk about families. Seamus goes first.

"I'm half and half, me dads a Muggle. Man didn't tell him she was a witch 'till after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." We laugh and Ron turns to Steph and me.

"I'm half." Steph says, looking at me, "my mums a witch.

"I'm also half, my mum is a witch, Stephs mums sister." I add in with a smile.

"What about you, Neville?" Ron continues, turning to him.

"We'll, my gran brought me up and she's a witch, but the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My Great-Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool Pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened till I was eight. Great - Uncle Algie came round for tea and was hanging me out of the upstairs window by the ankles when my Great - auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really please. Gran was crying. She was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see Great-uncle Algie was so pleased he bough me my toad."

"That's bloody child abuse!" I burst out as Neville finishes. He shrugs, looking down at the table sadly.

"It was just to make my magic come out." He defends his family.

"I don't give a crap!" I snap, glaring at him, Neville cowers, Ron stares at me wide eyed. Steph whispers to me to calm down. "I won't bloody calm down! That's child abuse and he has been brought up to think it was all okay! That's wrong" I rant. I notice Harry look down, avoiding my eyes as he eats a treacle tart.

"Emma, there is nothing you can do about it now. It's all in the past." Steph says quietly, putting a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down.

"Oh I think there is something I can do!" I Say, glaring at the head table.

"Not now though. Later." Steph pleads.

"Fine." I reply, breathing hard through my nose in anger.

"Good." She says, releasing her grip on my shoulder and turning back to the food. I eat in silence, fuming.

"Ouch!" Harry suddenly shoots out, I glance towards him, his hand is on his scar.

"What is it?" Percy asks.

"N-nothing." Harry tells him.

"If it happens again, tell someone." I tell him, narrow eyed.

"Okay." Harry says, but I can tell he's lying.

Pudding suddenly vanishes and I turn to the head table.

"Ahem - just a few more words now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore glances over at the Weasely twins.  
"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughs but I remain grim. I know that if I do befriend Harry, I will have to face the dog and, no matter how much I love dogs, I somehow don't find myself looking forward to that particular meeting.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Cried Dumbledore giving his wand a flick and a long, golden ribbon shot out, twisting itself into words.

"Everyone pick their favourite tune," Dumbledore told us, "and off we go!"

I chose a happy, bouncy tune as I sung along.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Wether we be old and bald  
Or young with Scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Being back what we forgot,  
Just do your best, well do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot.

The last to finish we're the Weasley twins, sounding sad and morose as they sang, the polar opposite of how I sung it.

"Ah, music," Dumbledore says after the clapping had stopped, "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"


	5. Late Night Chats

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter 5_

Getting to know the Girls

I get up, walking behind Steph, as we follow Percy through the loud crowds, out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase.

"Are we gonna try and stop him becoming a jerk too?" I ask Steph as we fall to the back of the group.

"We probably should, but he fixes it all himself, doesn't he?" Steph answers.

"Yeah, but he could be a big help. If we can get him to spy." I argue in a whisper as I notice Hermione beginning to fall back with us.

"If we change his future, what's to say he won't die? That would devastate Mrs. Weasely more than him turning against them." Steph adds.

Percy proceeds to lead us through countless corridors, a couple hidden doors and millions of steps as Hermione falls in line with us we stop talking about Percy and instead turn to the portraits.

A bundle of walking sticks floating in midair stop all chat and walking.

"What on earth are walking sticks doing at Hogwarts!?" I whisper to Steph as Percy steps forward, an important smug look on his face as he looks to us.

"Peeves," he whispers to us, "a poltergeist." He then raises his voice, turning away. "Peeves-show yourself."

Peeves blew a raspberry.

"Do you want me to get the Bloody Baron?" Percy replies, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"That might cheer Malfoy up." I snicker to Steph and Hermione.

Hermione tells us to hush, eyes wide as she stares at the walking sticks.

A resounding pop echoed around the corridor and a little ghostly man with dark eyes and a large, wide mouth appeared floating holding the walking sticks, cross legged.

"Oooooooh! Ickle firsties! What fun!" Peeves cackles with a wide grin. He suddenly swooped for us and we immediately duck.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron will hear about this, I mean it!" Percy barks in anger, glaring at the ghost. Peeves stuck out his tongue before vanishing once again.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," Percy tells us as we head of towards yet another set of stairs, "the Bloody barons the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us Prefects. Here we are."

At the end of the corridor, a large portrait of an equally large lady hung. We walk towards the portrait.

"Password?" She asks in a regal voice as we near it. An equally large attitude as well then.

"Caput Draconis," Percy tells her and the portrait swings open, revealing a hole in the wall.

"Does Draco HAVE to be in our password?" I moan as we all scramble in after Percy to be faced by a cosy room full of squashy armchairs. Percy directs Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, Steph and I to the door on the right. As one, we walk towards it, entering a small stairway. The first door on the first landing is labeled first years and so we enter.

Inside, five four poster beds sit in a circle around the edge of the room, our luggage placed on a bed. Mine the one on the far left, a wall on one side and Steph on the other.

I walk over to my bed and sit down, watching the others.

"Who's up for a chat? Who wants to go to sleep?" I ask the silent girls, refusing to go to sleep in an awkward silence.

"Sleep," Steph moans, lying back on her bed, her suitcase right next to her, cloak discarded on top of it.

"Chat!" Hermione says excitedly, sitting on the edge of her bed, her suitcase already lying neatly under it.

Parvati and Lavender look at each other before saying at the same time, "chat."

"Sorry, Steph. Looks like you've been over ruled." I smirk at her.

"Damn it." She moans again as she sits up.

"Well, I'm Steph. I'm half, as I said at the feast. I like tea and I am a natural ginger." I roll my eyes at her.

"I'm Emma. I am also half blood. I can't wait to start lessons. I love to read and write." I then add as the other three seem reluctant to do so.

"I'm Hermione. I am muggle born. And I am so excited to be here." Hermione puts in nervously.

"Parvati. I have a twin. We are pureblood." Parvati says shyly.

"Lavender. Pure blood." lavender Adds in.

"Ok. How about a game?" I ask, disappointed at the short answers.

"What game?" Steph asks, immediately nervous.

"Truth or dare." I say with a grin.

"No." Steph says immediately.

"What's that?" lavender and Parvati say at once.

"Ok. Just truth then." I say to abate Steph who relaxes slightly. "It's a game where you spin a bottle and whomever it lands on has to answer a question truthfully." I tell the two pure bloods.

"That sounds fun!" They say. I turn to Hermione.

"Yeah ok. But where will we get a bottle?" She asks. I look into my case and take out my wand.

"We'll just use this." I tell her as we all sit in a circle next to the door.

"I'll go first." I say as I put my wand on the floor and spin it. It lands on Parvati.

"Do you have any sibling aside from your twin?" I ask her.

"No." She says before taking the wand and spinning. It lands on Hermione.

"Did you never notice anything weird when you did magic at home?" She asked her.

"Yes. I was always made fun of because of it. People said I was a witch and said I was evil." Hermione told us.

"Sorry to hear that Hermione." I say, smiling at her, "but it won't happen here. I'll personally make sure no one picks on you." Hermione smiles at me happily. Before taking the wand. It lands on Steph.

"How did you find out you were a witch?" She asked her.

"My mum, aunts and uncles got all of us together and told us when we were five or something. Then we were all homeschooled." Steph made up on the spot. Steph took the wand.

"Parvati, what subject are you looking forward to most?" She asked.

"Umm I think charms." She says as she takes the wand back.

"Emma. What did Steph mean by all of us?"

"Our cousins. Megan, Gregor, Hannah. "I say, "Our granny was a busy woman."

Everyone laughs at my comment and Steph yawns.

I take the wand and point it towards Lavender deliberately.

"Your turn. What subject are you looking forward to?" I ask her.

"History of magic." She replies. I stare at her incredulously.

"But that sounds like such a boring subject!" I exclaim.

"Yup. That's what I like about it! No work." She says quickly. I grin.

"I think I'm gonna like you." I tell her, then I turn to Hermione and Lavender. "You two as well. I think we're all going to get on great."

"Yeah yeah that's great and all. Now can we please go to sleep?" Steph asks, slowly crawling towards her bed.

"Okay. Night" Hermione says, jumping up onto her bed.

"Night. See you all tomorrow." I say as I open my suitcase and pull out the small alarm clock I got when I originally turned ten. "This ain't going to work, is it?" I ask the others, staring at it in my hands as the minute hands whirls around to the left, the hour hand to the right. The second hand isn't moving at all.

"No, according to Hogwarts: A History, no muggle devices work here because of all the magical interference." Hermione helpfully tells me.

"Well then how do we get up early enough to get to breakfast on time? I'll tell you, I am not going first day of Hogwarts with no breakfast." I tell them.

"I suppose the noise of the girls above us will wake us up?" Steph queried.

"Yeah, suppose so." I say slowly, placing the useless clock under the bed before picking up my pajamas. "But what if they are really quiet? They have all been here for at least a year"

"How about we go up and ask then?" Lavender suggests. I look at the other four girls, all of us in our pajamas.

"I ain't walking up there in my pjs" I declare.

"And anyways, we'll probably wake up back at home tomorrow." I add sadly as I lie in my bed, the others look at me.

"What?" I whine.

"You're the one that's worried." Parvati says.

I huff before standing up and walking to the door, turning to glare at the smirking girls. With one last huff I turn and walk out, heading further up the stairs to the next door. With a deep breathe, I knock.

A small, curly red haired girl answered.

"Yes?" She asks looking just as disgruntled as I felt.

"Is there any chance you's can wake us up in the morning? We really don't wanna miss breakfast." I force out.

"Uhm yeah sure." She says looking highly amused.

"Thank you!" I finish lightly as I turn back to head to my dorm. The others are sitting up looking at me.

"How'd it go?" Lavender asks.

"Year twos are gonna wake us up." I tell them as I walk over to my bed and begin to draw the thick red curtains around my bed.

"Night." I say as I lie down and get comfortable.

"Night." The four of them answer back sleepily.

In the privacy of my bed, I sit back up, sleep forgotten as I think of the castle around me. If I am going to wake up back in my own bed tomorrow, an eighteen year old again. I may as well make use of the time here and explore. I will probably never have a dream like this again. But, as I listen, the others' breathing slows, becoming deeper and my own body begins to desert me, suddenly feeling bone tired, I slump back in the bed, my head hitting the pillow.

As my eyes shut, I manage to cross my fingers, hoping against hope I will still be here when I wake up.


	6. Trouble Brewing

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Six_

Trouble with the Head

"Emma! Get out of bed you lazy sod!" A female voice rips through my sleep causing me to stir.

"Five more minutes," I beg, flipping around so my head is buried in my pillow.

"No, now!" something grabs my arm and yanks me out of the bed and, with a loud thump, agony spreads up my back.

"That was uncalled for!" I screech as I tear my eyes open, glaring at the tall, bushy haired figure in front of me, hands on her hips.

"Do you want breakfast or not?" she asks as I scrabble onto my feet.

"Put the kettle on!" Steph groans from behind me, I turn to see Lavender and Parvati dragging Steph out of bed.

I pause, half crouched next to my bed, looking around. Five wide beds with red hangings, cozy circular room, feet pounding around outside the door.

We are still at Hogwarts. This really isn't a dream.

"Oh. My. Rassilon!" I scream, fully standing up, leaping over my bed and grabbing Steph by the shoulders.

"What!?" she complains, glaring at me.

"We're at Hogwarts!" I yell, grinning excitedly.

"Where's my cup of tea?" Steph asks, collapsing on her front as I release her shoulders. Patil, Lavender and Hermione are staring at us wide eyed.

"I'm at Hogwarts!" I scream as I rush over to my bed and pull my suitcase out, pulling out black trousers, a white top and a long cloak before shutting the blinds and pulling my clothing on.

"Get a move on Stephanie or we will miss breakfast!" I order as I pull my cloak over my shoulders, stepping out of my curtains. Hermione, Lavender and Patil are standing at the door staring between our beds.

Steph steps out, also fully clothed. And grabs a back pack. I pick up mine and we walk to the door, pausing in front of the other three girls.

"umm... Are we getting food or are we gonna stand here?" I ask with a grin. Hermione shakes her head and turns to open the door. We step out, walking down the steps and into a semi empty common room.

I walk up to a tall, pompous looking ginger guy. With a bright badge shining on his chest.

"How do we get to food?" I ask him. He turns and smiles, looking pleased as he puffs his chest out. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"Out the portrait hall, down the stairs, turn right, go along the corridor. Turn left at second exit, go down two flights, turn right, go down another flight and you will be at the entrance hall" he says a tad too fast. I stare at him blankly, mind lost at 'turn left'.

"Okay. Thank you." Hermione said grabbing my arm and pulling me out.

"You remembered that!?" I exclaim, staring at her.

"Yes." she says as she pulls us down the stairs and follows along a corridor.

"Steph?" I ask quietly as she comes up next to me.

"Yeah?" she replies.

"Did you remember any of that?"

"Nope. So I conclude no breakfast for today." she informs me as Hermione let's go of my arm, turning into a side hall.

"Lavender? Parvati?" I ask, glancing back at them.

"Nope." they both reply.

"That's Great. We are relying on a hyper Hermione and her superhuman memory skills." I intone as we go down yet more stairs.

"Oy! I heard that!" Hermione calls back as she reaches the bottom of the stairs.

I reach down next, looking about and notice the large front doors.

"Were here!" I say happily.

"You mean to say you doubted me?" Hermione asks me with a sly grin.

"Course not." I tell her sweetly just as Megan rounds the corner.

"This looks familiar!" Megan exclaims with a smile as Hannah comes up behind her.

"Megan!" I screech as I run towards them, arms out wide as I await my hugs.

"Emma! Steph!" She shouts back, enveloping us in hugs.

"Food!" Steph shouts as she turns away, looking longingly at the great hall.

"Food." we all agree and walk in, taking in deep breathes and smelling the delicious aroma of breakfast foods.

I look over at the Ravenclaw table and burst into uncontrolled laughter.

At the end nearest us, Gregor is sitting, grumpily eating coco pops, every so often sending glares over to the other end of the table.

Down at the bottom of the Ravenclaw table, nearest the teachers and the other side, Adam is sitting, arms folded, ignoring the food around him.

In the center, the rest of the Ravenclaw's are talking quietly, casting nervous glances towards the two boys.

I walk to Gregor, sitting closest to me.

"What the hell happened last night?" I ask, sensing Megan and Hannah behind me.

"They both wanted the bed next to the window. It continued till about three in the morning." A Ravenclaw third year buts in with a glare.

"They kept the whole house up. Over a bed." I ask, clarifying.

"Yes. You'd think being in Ravenclaw would say they had the sense to come to a conclusion sensibly!" A blonde haired sixth year says grumpily, glaring at Gregor.

"You'd think being in Ravenclaw would give someone the sense to cast a silencing charm." I snark back at the guy. No one insults a friend of mine.

"I don't like the way you are talking to me." The guy replies, turning his glare on me.

"I'm sorry. Not my fault a first year Gryffindor came up with an idea not one single Ravenclaw did."

"What in the world possesses the hat to put those two in the same house?" I ask rhetorically as I storm over to the Gryffindor table. Megan and Hannah go over to the Hufflepuff table, grabbing food and sitting chatting. I grab a bowl of coco pops.

"Where's the tea?" Steph asks after grabbing a slice of toast.

"Over with the Slytherins." I tell her.

She glances up at them, gulps then back down at her toast.

"Emma?" She asks pleadingly. I turn to Hermione, Lavender and Parvati.

"No chance." They all say.

"You want tea that bad, get it yourself." I say, quickly getting up, avoiding the worst of her glares.

Turning to see where else I can sit, I spot Professor McGonagall walking towards us, paper in her hands. Making my decision, I grimace at Steph unrelenting glare and move down the table to where Ron and Harry are sitting, not wanting to risk Steph's raff.

"Hi," Harry says quietly, paying more attention to his food.

"Hey!" I greet happily as I sit down beside him. I lean over to see Ron stuffing his face with toast.

"How are you?" Harry asks as McGonagall reaches us. I take the timetable she hands me with a smile before answering Harry.

"In trouble." I say simply, looking nervously over at Steph who is examining her own timetable.

"How come?" Ron asks, looking up from his food to accept his timetable. I look down at mine, face flushing as I answer.

"I told Steph the only tea here is at the Slytherin table." I say before groaning at the timetable, horror filling me. I get up and go back to sit next to Steph, any thoughts on saving my life by distance forgotten. "Potions first thing with Snape!?" I complain as she sips an orange juice.

"Yes." She says, eyes narrowed before flicking over to the Slytherin table. I suddenly remember why I was keeping my distance and sidle away from her.

"First thing. Monday morning. Professor Meanie Snape." I repeat, hoping to get a better reaction.

"Yes. I can see that. I can also see you not getting my tea." Steph replies.

"You are not getting any tea!" I tell her heatedly, looking back at my timetable. I have potions nine till ten; charms ten to eleven, lunch is eleven till one. After lunch I have Defense against the Dark Arts till two where I have history of magic.

"I prefer high school." I inform a pouting Steph as we finish our breakfast. I start heading towards the Hufflepuff table.

Standing behind Megan, I grab her timetable, comparing it to mine. She has transfiguration first before charms.

"You lucky sod!" I complain.

"How? What do you have?" Hannah asks from the opposite side of the table.

"Potions." I groan, looking longingly at the Megan's own timetable, which she snatches back. "Swap?" I ask, looking up at the teachers table where Dumbledore is watching us. "Uh guys?" I say slowly, turning my head back but keeping my eyes on the teacher. "We have an admirer."

"Huh?" Megan and Hannah ask at once, frowning at me.

"Dumbledore." I say quietly, sinking down to sit next to Megan. Steph takes the seat next to me.

"You don't think the hat would have said anything, do you?" Hannah asks.

"Not sure. I don't think so." Megan asserts, glancing at the head teacher.

"Are you guys allowed to sit at another table?" Hannah asks us, keeping her eyes on her toast.

"I think so. They want house unity, don't they?" Steph answers.

Just then, an owl swoops in, going over to the Slytherin table. Then another and, before I could blink, hundreds of owls were flying in, landing next to students.

Four owls cut off and land in front of us. Looking up, I see one at each Adam, and Gregor.

I take the letter from the light brown owl in front of me and it flies of.

Looking up, Dumbledore smiles at me before turning to talk to McGonagall.

"Are we in trouble?" I ask nervously as I take the smaller, brown enveloped letter from in front of the larger.

_Miss Nelson, _  
_I feel a small chat after breakfast up in my office would suffice to abate my curiosity, please await in the Great Hall after breakfast has ended, _  
_many thanks, _  
_Professor A Dumbledore. _

"I hope not, I'm quite enjoying this," a high pitched voice from I don't of me causes me to look from my letter, glancing up I see Adam and Gregor have arrived.

"Nice to see you to," I say to Adam, smiling, "how'd you get here?"

"By train." He answers, smirking.

"Love your new voice," I smirk back, he narrows his eyes.

I drop Dumbledore's letter on the table and turn to my larger one, still smirking at Adams glare.

_Miss E Nelson, _  
_I apologize for any confusion I have caused by sending you back. You and your friends however have shown the best potential to help me with my task. You may tell the Headmaster everything but please refrain from telling Mr. H Potter and friends for a few years. You may give them tips but I do not wish for you to tell them everything until their third year. I have brought you into first year in order to allow you to make connections. You may begin to change those events now however. I believe ten years is long enough. We will meet soon I believe. Best of luck on your task. _

The letter was signed with a simple D. I look up to see next to me Megan has finished reading hers.

"What did I just read?" I ask her, glancing at her own letter which is similarly written.

"I have no idea. But who on earth is D?" She counters with a much better question.

"Dunno. But probably not Dumbledore." Gregor says having finished reading his and taking a seat.

"Yeah, the writing is completely different." Hannah agrees.

"I know who it is!" Steph says with a laugh. "Dad." The rest of us roll our eyes at her as other students begin to stand up and leave.

"Are we gonna be kicked out?" Hannah asks nervously, keeping her back firmly to the teachers table.

"I don't think so." Magen says as she takes a seat next to Steph. "I mean, this D guy wouldn't have sent us if we're all gonna be taken out." She explains as the teachers get up and walk out the back door.

"Yeah who is he?" I add, glaring at my letter.

"We have no idea." Gregor says, putting his letter in my bag, I send a slight glare at him but leave it be, "But we best go see Dumbledore."

With several nods, we get up and walk out into the thinning crowd of students.

"Ah if you will all follow me." Dumbledore appears at the bottom of the stairs and turns to walk up them, we follow.

"More stairs! Seriously!" I groan as the headmaster continues leading us up. "Ever heard of escalators?"

"Emma!" Megan, Steph, Gregor and Hannah all chide me. Dumbledore chuckles.

"One more flight." He says and true enough, after another twenty steps, we arrive in a long corridor, half way down is the stone gargoyle.

Once in the office, Dumbledore Summons six seats and tells us to sit down. I gulp as he walks over and picks up the Sorting Hat.

"So. Care to tell me the meaning of the Sorting hats distress after sorting you all?"

"Well..." I begin, looking nervously around.

"We're not from this time sir." Steph says.

"Way to be blunt Steph!" Gregor groans from the opposite side of the room from her.

"And from what time do you come from?" Dumbledore asks, smiling gently at Steph.

"The twenty first century." I say, taking a deep breathe.

"You do realize time travel is strictly forbidden?" He says, a sharp edge to his tone.

"No sir, we didn't-" Megan begins.

"It's not our fault-" Hannah tries to say.

"We just woke up on the train!" Gregor says.

"This is all supposed to be a book." Adam says quietly from the back. Miraculously, Dumbledore seemed to have understood all four statements.

"A book?" He asks, looking at Adam.

"Yeah, the lot of them were doing a stupid book marathon." Adam tells him nonchalantly.

"What has a book marathon got to do with arriving on the Hogwarts Express?" Dumbledore questions.

"We were reading all seven Harry Potter books." Megan tells him.

"Harry potter books?" Dumbledore asks, looking perplexed as he leans back, looking at us all.

"Yeah. J. K. Rowling wrote seven books on Harry and Hogwarts and everything here. They're famous." I tell him.

"All right. But how are you all here?" He asks, deciding not to get into the problem of the books, something I am highly relieved for.

"We don't know. We went to bed last night and woke up on the train. Then we got some letter from someone named D this morning." Steph tells him.

"May I see this letter?" Dumbledore asks. I reach into my bag and pass him Gregor's.

"Well well what have we here?" Dumbledore asks after reading it over. "What mission are you supposed to be on? What happens in third year?"

"Uh..." I stutter quietly, looking towards the others for help.

"Sirius Black?" Steph says quietly.

"What exactly does Sirius Black do?" Dumbledore asks, suddenly sounding extremely dangerous. I gulp but no one else looks ready to answer so I do.

"He escapes Azkaban." I say. Dumbledore turns to me, rage evident on his face.

"And how exactly does he manage this?" He demands.

"I'm sorry, I can't say." I tell him, squirming under his gaze.

"This letter tells me otherwise. Are you not supposed to prevent him from escaping?"

"No!" We all shout at once. Dumbledore looks taken aback before his anger grows, a cold wind begins to prowl around the room.

"He's innocent!" I say at the same time as several others shout.

"It was Pettigrew!"

"Sirius would never have done that!"

"We need to catch Pettigrew"

"We need to prove his innocence."

Dumbledore raises a hand. "What has Mr. Pettigrew got to do with any of this?"

"He betrayed Lily and James."

"He works for Voldemort."

"He's alive."

"He faked his death."

"How about one at a time?" Dumbledore asks, he turns to Gregor.

"I haven't really read the books. I have only watched the movies. Best ask Megan or Emma. They know Harry Potter the best." He tells Dumbledore. I turn to Megan who shakes her head, eyes wide. I sigh.

"When you did the Fidelius Charm with the Potters, they chose Sirius for Secret Keeper yet a week later, Sirius asked the Potters to change Secret Keeper. He knew he was too obvious a choice." I begin, cringing under Dumbledore's glare. "So he told them to choose Peter. No one would suspect Peter."

"What proof do you have of this?" Dumbledore asks, his glare softening slightly. But he still looks dangerous.

"Sirius and the books. And Peter." I tell him.

"You say Peter is alive, how?"

"He is an animagus." I tell him, "a rat to be specific."

"And could you bring me this rat to prove this?" Dumbledore asks, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yes." The Megan answers.

"You guys aren't in Gryffindor. You're going to have a hard time at it." I tell them.

One murderous rat, coming up." Steph grins.


	7. Chapter 7 - Goodbye Rat

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Seven_

Goodbye Rat

Dumbledore excuses Steph and I to go get the rat. We walk out of his office and stand at the bottom of the gargoyle, looking uncertainly at each other.

"Will Ron have it on him?" Steph asks.

"I don't think so." I answer, "Possibly have left him in the room?"

"I hope so," Steph replies as we begin to head up.

"How do you know we're going the right way?" I ask, glancing over the railing to the entrance hall far, far below.

"The painting of that guy playing cards. We past it last night." Steph tells me as she turns and heads along a corridor.

"Ok. I'll take your word for it." I reply, just as we round a corner to see the fat lady.

"Looks like Hogwarts CAN be deciphered" I comment dryly, grinning at Steph.

"Caput Draconis." I add to the portrait, and she swings open silently. We run up to the boy's dormitory.

"Well?" Steph asks, I shrug and go to the bed directly opposite the door, the trunk underneath gives the name Seamus Finnegan.

"Here's Ron's!" Steph calls, the other end of the room, and there, lying on the pillow is Peter Pettigrew.

"Does anyone else think this is too easy?" I ask as I reach over and slowly pick up the rat, cupping it between my hands as it continues to sleep, reminded creepily of my well-loved gerbils at home.

"Yeah, for a human, Peter really does sleep a lot." Steph agrees as we walk back out the common room.

"Shouldn't we be taking him to a nurse first?" I ask with a wry grin. She roll her eyes, as we both shudder at the thought of a creepy guy sleeping in the same room as the boys.

"What if he wakes up?" I ask as the human rat continues to sleep.

"Uh grab the tail and run?" Steph suggests as we walk out of the common room.

"Yeah, I ain't running with a flailing rat who could turn human at a moment's notice." I tell her, eying Peter/Scabbers warily.

"Well we're almost there." Steph says as we get onto another set of stairs, this time heading down, thankfully, and towards the gargoyle.

Once in the correct corridor, due largely to Steph's creepy navigation skills, somehow stolen from Hermione, we stare at the closed stone.

"Fizzing Whizzbies?" I ask uncertainly. It refuses to move.

"Every bots flavored beans?" Steph adds.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans, Steph" I inform her.

"Not that it matters." Steph replies, glaring at the unmovable rock.

"Well Emma? You know Harry better than me," Steph sighs, turning to face me, I shudder as Pettigrew twitches in his sleep.

"Yeah and Harry never goes to Dumbledore's office in the first book. So we don't know the password."

Steph walks up to the gargoyle, smiling slightly as Peter begins to stir further.

"Steph, we better hurry," I say quickly glancing towards the rat.

"Uh we're here to see Dumbledore, he knows we're coming." Steph says to the stone rock witch, remarkably, moves.

"How'd you do that?" I ask as we run up the moving stairs in our rush.

"Ginger magic." She grins as we reach the door.

"Here they are!" Dumbledore says as we step into the room. I walk up to the desk and deposit the still slowly awakening rat on it.

"I'm guessing you know how to reverse the spell," I say to him as I step back.

"Of course but first, I believe someone of more importance should be present." Dumbledore tells me before walking over to the fire place and putting black powder in. He then steps back allowing us to see a head made of flames poking out of the fire.

"Albus?" The head asks after looking around.

"Cornelius, would you care to join us, bringing a few aurors with you?" Dumbledore asks. The head in the fire, the Minister of Magic, nods his head before disappearing.

"I thought you had to put your head in to call..." I say, staring at the emptying flames.

"Books don't tell you everything," Dumbledore tells me with a sparkle. I frown.

"Shouldn't you have more proof before involving him?" I ask as Dumbledore walks back to his desk. The rat had fallen back asleep again and I eye it wide eyed. _Is Peter seriously that stupid? _

"I believe your friends provided sufficient proof whilst you were away." I turn to Megan questioningly.

"Arianna" She answers and I nod, understanding. _Nobody our age would know about his sister whom died long before our time. Especially a bunch of so called eleven year olds. _

Just then, Cornelius Fudge and two tall, brown haired men step in through the fire.

"What is the meaning of this Dumbledore?" Cornelius asks, glancing around at the five 'children' in the room.

"This." Dumbledore answers, indicating the sleeping rat. Cornelius stares at it, a sneer on his face.

"Is this some kind of joke?" He asks, sneer turning into a glare. "I do have an office to run, Dumbledore! I don't have time for pranks some of your students have decided to play."

"Not quite." Dumbledore answers before pointing his wand at the rat which suddenly wakes up and starts to lengthen, fur shrinking, ears lengthening and nose shrinking.

A few seconds later, Peter Pettigrew jumps off the table, looking frantically around at the ten people now in the room.

"What?- How?" Fudge gapes as the two aurors pull their wands out and point them at Peter whom immediately stops moving and starts sniffling, staring around the room with wide eyes filled with patheticness. I can't help the rush of glee I feel. Sirius will live a lot happier now. We have already saved someone from a horrible fate.

"I believe a certain Black has waited long enough for his trial, don't you, minister?" Dumbledore says lightly.

"But that's-" Fudge begins as the aurors tie thick black ropes around the frozen Peter.

I look back at my friends who are staring awkwardly around the room.

"Peter Pettigrew. Yes, I know." Dumbledore says patiently.

"Then Black- take him! Get Black!" Fudge suddenly screeches at the aurors who levitate the now struggling form into the fire.

"How did you find him?" Fudge asks, turning to the Headmaster who waves his hand in our general direction. "And how did you know who the rat was?" He asks, turning to us.

"No rat can live for ten years and still look healthy." I say, effectively saving our skins. "And it creeped me out," I add honestly.

"Eh well..." Fudge tries, his hand reaching for the back of his neck in frustration. I roll my eyes. He's clearly thinking of what the public will say.

"I'll just go and-" After that, Cornelius Fudge turns and walks into the fire, leaving us.

"Yup. This has went WAY to easily..." I say into the silence that rained into the room.


	8. Chapter 8 - Classes

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Eight_

Classes

Dumbledore sent us back to classes soon after the arrest of Peter Pettigrew. We all split up, heading to our different classes, Steph and I headed down towards the dungeons.

"But they didn't have Potions till Friday in the book, so why do we have it now?" I complain as we tread down the stairs.

"As Dumbledore said, books don't show everything, it was probably just the easiest way for J K to write it." Steph suggests, I shrug, and it's as good an answer as I'm gonna get.

Walking the rest of the distance in silence, we tread carefully into the gloomy passage at the side of the Great Hall, pausing a few corridors in.

"Is the right dungeon?" I ask, staring around at the cold, dark walls, surprisingly cold with being only a couple corridors and two flights down from the entrance, it has to be a charm Snape places down here, I decide, to keep the atmosphere.

"How 'bout we Listen? We might be able to hear them," Steph suggests as we round another corner. We freeze again and open our ears, listening for the sound of students talking.

Instead, the bell rings, loud and echoey through the cold corridors causing us to jump.

A classroom three doors down from where we stand opens and people spill out. I grin as I see Harry walking out with a grumbling Ron.

Steph and I fall in step behind Ron and Harry who is also complaining about Snape.

"What'd we miss?" I ask as we start heading up stairs, following Hermione who apparently knows where she is going.

"Snape's a slimy old git." Ron informs us.

"That's a bit harsh." I say as Hermione turns a corridor, we follow behind, trusting her judgment.

"He bullied us the entire lesson," Ron informs us, Dean and Seamus agreeing from behind as the Slytherins head off outside, we head up.

"Well he is Head of Slytherin." I inform him.

"Yeah, and McGonagall is head of Gryffindor, yet she won't bully Slytherins specifically." Ron adds grumpily. I roll my eyes and turn to Steph.

"You deal with Mr. Grumpy Pants." I inform her, speeding up to walk next to Hermione.

"How do you know your way about so well?" I ask as she leads us up a third flight of stairs and down a couple corridors, stopping outside a door marked

'Classroom 2E'

"I ask." She tells me, standing at the wall next to the door and taking her book out. I stand next to her, watching as Dean, Seamus, Harry, Ron, Parvati, Lavender, and Steph catch up, Steph jumps ahead to stand next to me. Parvati and Lavender stand on their own at the other side of the hall.

"But you didn't ask anyone... We were walking behind you the whole way and I doubt Snape would have told you," I say back with a frown.

"Asked what?" Steph asks.

"I asked this morning at breakfast." Hermione replies as she opens her book to begin reading.

"Asked how she knows how to get everywhere," I explain to Steph.

The door opens, allowing us to file in, I pick a seat at the front of the stands, Hermione on one side, Steph on the other, the boys take seats at the top and Parvati and Lavender choose half way up.

Professor Flitwick, the smallest teacher, perched on top of his well-placed books and begins the register.

When he reaches Harry's name, he literally squeals and falls of his seat causing me to stuff my fist in my mouth in order to try and stop laughing. Hermione glares at me until I manage to stifle the laughs.

"Charms is a skill requiring precise magic in both wand movement and in speech. In order to succeed, one must practice practice practice!" The tiny man tells us once he finishes with the register.

I roll my eyes and lean back. Turning my head, I see Ron and Harry murmuring to each other. I turn to Hermione who is paying avid attention, rolling my eyes again, I sigh and turn to Steph, who's writing something down. I despise lectures. Instead of paying attention, I start fiddling, taking my wand out my pocket and twiddling it about. Hermione's glare returns but I ignore her, turning instead to the paper pushed in front of me.

_'Would a growth charm work on him?' _I turn to glare at Steph, taking my own quill and awkwardly scratching a reply.

_'Don't you think they would have tried if it was possible?' _Passing the paper back to Steph, I tune back into the lecture_. _

"...Before we can start on your first spell, you must learn the words, the wand movement and the power needed behind it. Now if you would take notes." A shuffling emitted from the class as everyone began to take their books out as well as quills and pots of ink. I turn back to my own Parchment, putting Steph's new note under it for later.

"Charms is useful in the home, work and general everyday tasks, charms can also be the difference between a win and loss in a duel."

_Charms useful, home, work and every day, can help win a dual. _Finishing my notes, I pick up Steph paper again. _'Isn't he part Goblin? He'd be offended if anyone asks, so no, I don't think so, why don't we?' _

_'__**Do you want detention on our first day!?**__'_ I reply, giving her it back just in time to catch the next part of the lecture.

"It is Charms that allow us to wash our dishes via magic, clean our laundry, quickly freshen up before heading out the door, keep our children safe."

I note that down, and tune out, going onto automatic as I retreat back to my awaiting notes, any mistakes will be fixed by Steph later on.

_'We're not meaning it offensively, it might help him in class, better than standing on a set of books all lesson. ' _

_'I seriously doubt it, if it was possible wouldn't they have thought of it already?' _Sliding it back to Steph, i turn back to my own notes.

"The words are Winguardian Liviosa." I write the words down, grinning, _I actually know this, _I grin to myself, "And you must ensure you pronounce it correctly. A mispronunciation can cause drastic effects. Does anybody know what can happen?"

Hermione's hand shoots up into the air.

"Yes miss-?"

"Granger sir. You can set the object you are trying to make fly on fire."

"Correct. Five points to Gryffindor."

Hermione smiles happily, writing down in her book.

"The levitating spell was created in the sixteenth century by warlock Jarleth Hobart. To demonstrate the spell, he cast it on himself-" at this, professor Flitwick picked up his wand and swished it in an odd u shape at himself and said the words clearly. He rose into the air. "And appeared as if he was flying. Can anyone tell me why he was not in fact flying?"

I raise my hand. He looks at me.

"He wasn't moving?" I guess causing Ron, Harry and Steph to laugh.

"Well that is true but that is not the correct answer." Hermione put her hand in the air. "Miss Granger?"

"The spell had been cast on his clothes, not himself."

"Correct. Another five points to Gryffindor. Can anyone tell me why it was not cast on his self?" The professor asks as he lowers himself back onto his seat.

"He was too big?" I ask, widening my eyes deliberately. Behind me I can hear three snorts of laughter.

"Partly correct."

Not even Hermione put her hand up.

"No? The levitation charm can only be placed on an inanimate object or a live one much lighter than the original caster."

I gave up on trying to take notes and instead decided to just copy Hermione or Steph's later on. I looked over to Hermione's' book and saw she had written twice more than what the teacher had said. My eyes widened for real. _Where on earth did she find the time to write all that? _

I turn to my next note from Steph instead. "_We all know how old fashioned wizards are, probably didn't pass their minds."_

_"Steph, this is probably a bad idea, forget it and move on. We need to meet up at some point, __**all**__ of us."_

"For the rest of class, I want you to write an essay, using your textbooks, on the various uses of the levitation charm."

I took my book, The Standard Book of Spells - Grade 1, out and read the chapter on levitation before starting on an essay. I got half way down a page before the bell rang.

I grin as we get up and walk out the door, Steph and Hermione beside me.

"That was a great first lesson." I say to them.

"Better than potions was." Lavender says from behind us.

"At least I got back the points lost." Hermione says brightly as we head down the stairs, following the crowd of older students to the great hall.

"What happened?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

"Harry back chatted Professor Snape and lost two points."

I roll my eyes. "You got well over double the points back!"

Hermione smiled happily as we enter the great hall and take a seat. I help myself to a cheese and tomato sandwich.

"Where were you three during potions?" Lavender asks as she sits down opposite me.

"The head teacher asked to see us." Steph informs her.

"Why?" Padma and Hermione both ask, frowning.

"He wanted to know for sure we were all related. It seemed very unrealistic to him." I made up quickly, luckily Padma and Lavender bought it. Hermione looked skeptical though, her eyes narrowing slightly. But she didn't push it.

After finishing my sandwich, I sit back to wait on Steph finishing hers, paying half attention to the conversations around me as I look over to the Slytherin table. Draco is quietly eating, sitting dwarfed between Crabbe and Goyle. I start to wonder. _Will we be able to turn Draco good? Convince him not to join his father as a death eater?_ Somehow, I doubt it, we're not Pure blooded enough.

"Let's explore the castle!" Steph suggests, grabbing the top of my arm and lifting me up. She starts to walk out the hall, dragging me behind her.

"But-"

"Emma. Listen. We. Are. At. Hogwarts. A school full of magic and secret corridors." Steph grins, continuing to take me up the stairs.

"But food," I protest with a smirk, she rolls her eyes as the others catch up with us on the next landing.

"Library." Hannah says randomly. Adam looks at her weirdly but Megan, Steph, Gregor and Hannah all know what that means to a bookworm.

"OMG! Where! I NEED to get my hands on those books! Magic! Real magic books!" I screech, ripping myself out of Steph's grip and jumping about. "Where is it? Where are the books?" I ask, looking around the hallway we are in.

"Uhh... No idea." Hannah admits, also looking around.

"Where are we anyways?" Gregor asks from the back of the group, Adam a step in front.

I gasp, an idea springing to mind.

"Can we do magic?" I ask, taking my wand out from my breast pocket.

"Don't know. I'd assume so." Megan says, pulling hers out.

"Well then let's see." I grin. I point my wand. "_Lumos_." My wand tip springs up a bright white light. "_Nox_." I finish with a grin. The others try as well, just as successful.

"How about," Steph begins, pointing her wand at me, "_expelliarmus_!" My wand suddenly flies out of my hand and into Stephs.

"Oy! Give that back!" I shout, but I'm grinning. We are at Hogwarts. Really at Hogwarts and we can do magic! She hands my wand back and I grin.

"Point me." I say, thinking of the library. My wands swings around in my hand before stopping, directly through my chest. "Gotcha!" I exclaim as I turn and begin to head towards the library.

The heaven of Hogwarts.


	9. Chapter 9 - Teachers are Bullies

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Nine_

Teachers are Bullies

It took five whole minutes to reach the library. Leaving us with an hour and ten minutes before period three.

As soon as I entered, I took in a deep breath, the smell of old books filling my nostrils. Madame Pince came up to me, eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?" She asks, looking suspicious.

"More than seven years in this school. I will never get to read all of these books in seven years! How many books can I take out during the holidays? If I read nonstop for the whole seven years-"

"Emma. Shut up." Adam tells me. Madam Pince however is looking at me with a smile. A smile Harry never received. I feel oddly smug at that. I won the librarian over in less than a minute.

"Where would you like to start?" She asks me.

I freeze. All these books with thousands of information on magic. Information J.K never even looked at. And I have the opportunity to learn it.

I look back at my friends and make a quick but pained decision.

"Methods of wizarding communication." I state confidently whilst crying inside. Out of all the books available, THIS is what I choose?

"Right this way." Madame Pince proceeded to lead us to the third row of shelfs to the left where she pointed me to a long row of books at the bottom.

"Thank you." I say before picking up three books and handing them to Megan. The next three go to Adam and another four I take in my arms before going over to a table and finding a seat. I take a look at the first book, _"Methods of Time Communication."_ And discard it. The one underneath, _"Communication Methods Via the Mind,"_ is also discarded. The next one however, _"The Creation and use of the Communication Books."_ Is opened to the first page.

"Emma?"

"What?" I snap at the voice, flicking past the introduction and warning pages.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Sit and wait." I say.

'_The use of communication books has never been used to much extent. Many seeing it as pointless as they look to many other methods of communicating. This method, however, is useful when it comes to fast and undetected conversations." _

I flick through the rest until I come to the method.

_"Each user of the communication books must cast the spell simultaneously on the book of choice. In order to communicate via the book to one specific person, set pages with the recipient's name. Any conversations may be stored for future use." _

Finding the spell, I grin and look up at my friends.

"Find a plain book you can write in and lay it in front if you." I inform them as I dig into my bag, finding a plain, line papered dark blue leather bound book. Perfect. Once all of us have a book out, I point my wand at my book. They copy me.

"When I say so, place your wand on the first page of the book and say _communicare et inter mentibus_." Everyone nods and so I place the top of my wand on the first page of my book.

"Now."

Five voices repeat the spell at the same time as me as six books all glow a light blue before the colour dies.

We then all get our quills and, as per my instructions, write EVERYONE on the first page then everyone's names on separate pages.

Finishing Adam Seaton on the final page, I look back up and grin.

"Do these actually work?" Gregor asks, sounding skeptical.

"They should," I reply, turning back to the first page and writing 'Hello.'

Nothing happens.

"Well?" Hannah raises an eyebrow, my chest hears up, slowly creeping up to my face as I frown and turn back to the book to find I missed part if the spell.

"Say _simul in aeternum_ on the last page." I tell the others. We do so and our bodies glow the same blue as the books did before. With spell was complete, Gregor writes instead. My book shudders slightly and a message appears on my first page.

**GF: No cheating in class with these. **

We could now talk to each other in classes. I grin again.

"I did my good deed, can I go look for other books now?" I ask, eyes flicking back to the many shelfs filled with knowledge.

"I think you should all have classes now?" Madam Pince says, turning a corner and waving her wand, causing all the library books to float back to their original spot.

"Huh? No the bell-" the bell went. "Okay. I suppose." Hannah turns red.

"Thank you! And I'll be back." I say as my friends drag me out of the room.

"What do you all have? We have potions." Gregor tells us.

"Potions." Megan and Hannah say simultaneously.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Steph answers for her and me.

"Point me," I say to my wand, leading me up and to the right. Gregor copies me. His leading him downstairs.

"See ya's" she calls as we all round different corners.

"How do we know these work in distance?" Steph asks me as we step into the classroom of Professor Quirrel, taking her book out of her bag.

I pick mine up and turn to the first page.

_**Testing. Testing**_

I look over at Steph's book where words were writing themselves in my handwriting.

Emma: _Testing. Testing_

"Well, we already knew they worked close range." I inform Steph. Then more Writing appeared in both our books.

Adam: _shut up and pay attention!_

Megan: _how about the three of you pay attention?_

Hannah: M_egan, this is Emma. She doesn't know HOW to pay attention in class. _

I decide to cut in.

_**Oy! I heard ... Saw that! Offense taken!**_

Hannah: _there. You have just proven my point!_

_**It's Quirrel! Do you honestly expect me to pay attention!? Voldemort is attached to the back of his head! I ain't ever gonna pay attention! **_

Steph: _aren't you guys in potions?_

Megan: _yes..._

Steph: _then why are you writing? Shouldn't you be paying attention to your potion?_

Gregor: _we are supposed to be taking notes. No potion making for another couple classes. _

Adam: _this is sad. _

_**Wait! How come we are made to make a potion first day and you guys actually take notes and learn!? **_I ask. This is something Harry never learns.

Hannah: _we're more special than you guys_

**You wish!**

Steph: Emma, the teachers looking at you...

I look up to find Voldeyhead is in fact, looking at me, a slight frown on his face.

"A-any-anything y-y-you would l-like t-t-to share M-miss N-N-Nel-Nelson? " he asks me. I glare at him.

"Yeah. Do you have any air freshener sir? You see I find it quite hard to breathe, all this garlic affecting my lungs and what-not" I reply, ignoring the glares and sniggers from the class.

"P-p-pardon?" Voldeyhead's frown turned into a look of perplexity. I decide to talk slower and louder so as he can hear me.

"THE SMELL OF GAR-LIC IS AFF-EC-TING MY LUNGS, PROFF-ES-OR"

"D-d-detention"

"What? Why!?"

"F-f-for bad m-m-mouthing a t-t-teac- teacher"

"I did not bad mouth you!? I was asking you to create a better learning environment." I snap at him, ignoring Steph's kicking.

"Th-that will b-b-be two detentions Miss N-N-Nelson." I smirk as I notice the lack of stutter, I'm getting to him.

"I am not accepting any detentions unless you improve the state if the class, ever heard of a cleansing spell?"

Instead of answering, Quirrelmort goes to his desk and writes something, then comes back around and gives it to me. I reluctantly take the paper, nose wrinkling as the garlic smell increases at his closeness.

"T-t-take that to P-P-Professor McGonagall, p-p-please."

I roll my eyes and shut my book, putting it in my bag.

"And where will I find her, sir?" I ask.

"I-in h-her cla-classroom." I blink.

"Sir, this is my first day here, how on earth am I supposed to know where her classroom is?"

"J-j-just g-g-go!"

"All right, don't get your turban in a twist." A snark as I walk out the classroom, heading towards a nearby empty classroom and pulling my book back out.

Then a sudden grin comes to my face as I remember in the books Fred and George whack Voldemort's head with snowballs. Then I get a BRILLIANT idea.

A prank war.

And not just any old prank war.

A magical prank war.

Against the Weasely twins.


	10. Chapter 10 - Talking in Class

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Ten_

Talking In Class

Pulling out another book, I begin to plan, willing the time away as I write out half-baked ideas for pranks. Once Voldeyhead lesson eventually ended, i got up and waited outside for Steph. I decided to inform Steph of my brilliant plan. She didn't agree on the brilliant part as much as I do though.

"Have you finally turned properly insane!?" She screeches at me as we walk down the many stairs towards history of magic, following behind Hermione as is probably going to turn into a habit.

"No!" I reply indignantly, "it will make Hogwarts so much funner!"

"Where are you going to get your supplies? You can't have a prank war without supplies"

"Mr. D" I tell her simply.  
Ron and Harry step up behind us.

"She thinks I'm insane!" I complain at the same time as Steph.

"She's nuts! She wants a prank war with the Weasely twins!"

"You are nuts. Completely bonkers." Ron informs me, looking slightly scared.

"Not you to" I whine, "Harry?" Harry shrugs, not wanting to enter the argument.

"And I'm not insane, i am on a higher plane than you is all." I tell Ron as we enter the classroom just behind Hermione. We take seats at the back of the class, Hermione sits at the front as everyone else fills in.

The teacher, Professor Binns floats through the blackboard behind his desk and sits down on the seat behind his desk.

He is a balding ghost with thin white hairs coating the side of his head. Large glasses adorn his see-through head and a large, pointed nose holds them up.

He looks down at his desk and then, in a slow, monotonous voice, begins to call out the world's most boring register to which he followed up with immediately beginning the lesson.

"In 1911, the Gargoyles led a strike-" I tried to pay attention. I really did. But, in my need to concentrate, I ended up pulling out my tele-book and opening it.

**Help me! **

Next to me, Steph takes hers out with a grin and picks up her quill.

Steph: _pay attention. _

I glare at her to which she just grins smugly.

Hannah: _what class are you in?_

**History of Magic. **

Hannah: _oh god! That can't be a good combination with you!_

Adam: _it's just like History at school. Just doodle!_

**Doodling will not help drown out Mr. You-Shall-Go-To-Sleep-Now's voice!**

Megan: _well then go to sleep._

**How can I sleep!? This is HOGWARTS! I'm too hyped up!**

Gregor: _why would you be telling her to sleep? She's in school!_

**You wait until you get HoM Gregor! Where are you just now anyway? **

Adam: _turban dudes class._

Gregor: _dada. _

Adam: _DADA!? You mean to tell me HE is your father! Why was I not previously informed?_

I stuff my hand in my mouth to stifle my giggles, looking over at Steph who is currently biting her bottom lip, whole body shaking in silent laughter.

Megan: _oh come on Adam! _

Adam: _what!?_

Steph: _Defense Against the Dark Arts. Dada. _

Adam: _I knew that._

**Of course you did.**

Gregor: _Adam, the teacher wants you to answer a question. _

**Wait... Quirrel is actually TEACHING you lot? That's SO unfair! Or is he getting detention too?**

Megan: _how on earth did you get a detention on the FIRST day?_

Hannah: _you got a detention?_

_Steph: yeah, she bad mouthed Moldeymorts. _

**I did not bad mouth him. I just asked him to fix the smell of the classroom. **

Steph: _and then continued to talk to him as if he were a child. _

**Not my fault he was acting like a child! Did Adam get detention? **

Gregor: _no. The teacher asked him about the passage he's reading out our book._

Hannah: _Charms_.

Steph: _Winguardian Liviosa?_

Megan: _yup_.

Gregor:_ we had that first. _

**Gregor, are you feeling okay?**

Gregor: _yes... Why_?

**You're not paying attention in class. You sure you're not ill? **

Gregor: _ha-ha very funny emma. _

**That is a NAME**

Adam: _yes. Yes it is. Well done eMMA_.

**Very mature guys.**

Gregor: _what do you expect, I'm hardly going to pay attention to He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named. _

Megan: _please don't start with that nonsense. The name is Voldemort. _

**No it's not**!

Steph: _huh_?

**It's Moldeymort**.

Hannah: _OMG! Stop making me laugh!_

**Glad to be of service**.

Steph: _has Emma told you her mad idea?_

I look over to Steph with another glare but she's grinning at me.

Adam: _Jeesh Emma. We haven't even been here a day and your already plotting something. _

Megan: _please don't involve getting us expelled. _

Hannah: _are we gonna regret knowing you?_

Gregor: _don't want to know. _

Hannah: _not as mad as the paint balling idea, is it?_

Steph: _madder_.

**Oy! This is my story to tell! Guys...**

Everyone: _WHAT!?_

**I'm going to start a prank war with the Weasely twins. **

Megan: _are you NUTS!?_

Gregor: _told you I didn't want to know... now I know. And this is a REALLY bad idea Emma!_

Hannah: _that's BRILLIANT! _

Steph: _is this going to disturb my sleep at all? _

**Probably**.

Steph: _well, if it's going to keep me up, I may as well help. _

**Yippee! Anyone else? **

Hannah: _definitely_.

Steph: _where are the Slytherins right now? _

Gregor: _dunno_

_**Herbology probably, why? **_

Hannah_**: **__she wants to Ogle Draco obviously. _

I laugh out loud before stifling it, looking apologetically at the rest of the class which I had woken up.

"Sorry" I mouth before they turn back and lay their heads back on the table, the teacher continues to drone on, Hermione the only one paying any attention to him.

**This has been a really quick day.** I write as I turn back to my book, trying desperately to tune out the therapeutic drone of the teacher.

Megan: _yeah, but I suppose we did miss first class_

**But this has to be the longest period**.

Next to me Steph nods with a frown. Then, in the miracle of miracles, the bell goes.


	11. Chapter 11 - Stairs of Horror

"How do you plan on contacting D?" Steph asks as we walk from History towards the great hall.

"I write a letter. How else?"

"And he does owe us a better explanation than that letter. He just took us from our homes!" Steph growls as we walk into the hall and sit at the Gryffindor table.

"You know, it's been a whole twenty-four hours since we arrived here," I say, looking around the great hall.

"Yeah, doesn't feel like a full day has passed, does it?" Hermione says from beside me as she takes a seat.

I look at her. Properly look at her. She doesn't look like Emma Watson. Her face structure is much more rounded, more babyish. Her eyes are a sparkling light brown, unlike Emma's dull, dark brown ones. Her front two teeth jut slightly out of her upturned mouth. She doesn't look snobbish or high and mighty like is portrayed in the films. She looks small and innocent, blind to the horrors she is going to face. Horrors which will turn her into a marvelous young witch. One my younger self admired.

"Yeah, time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?" I say back, a true smile on my own face. Hermione nods, her curly, frizzy hair bobbing up and down with her.

Harry and Ron walk into the hall and take seats a little away from us.

I tuck into my food, occasionally joining in the conversations around me whilst my mind wanders.

W_hat is going to happen with our ages? We are in eleven year old bodies and yet mentally I still feel eighteen. And I'm sure Megan, Adam and Steph still feel 17. Hannah, And Gregor 16. Will we mentally age as well? Or will we mentally remain this age? And what about puberty? I don't feel like going through growth pains again. _

As these thoughts flicker through my mind, we all finish our dinner and walk out the hall, the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's following.

"Let's see if we can find the room of Requirement. Then we can talk." Megan suggests. We all agree and begin to head up the bazillion flights of stairs to the seventh floor.

"Did the founders not need to breathe at all?" I pant as we reach the fourth floor, my bag and body becoming heavier and heavier with each step.

"Na, they probably just apparated, before the wards were put up," Adam answers from the front, not sounding out of breathe at all.

"Do you have lungs of steel or something?" I ask breathlessly as he reaches the top of this flight and bounds up the next. "It's not natural, whatever he has." I finish quietly enough so that only Megan, Steph and Hannah, whom are panting and wheezing next to me, here.

We reach the next flight and begin the slow treck up.

Step after step after step. Never ending.

"I tell you, I am NOT taking Divination when we get the chance." I inform everyone as we round up to the sixth floor.

"Why ... Not?" Steph pants from behind me.

"It's even higher than this." I tell her.

"Come on wooses! I'm at the top already!" Adams excruciatingly jolly voice calls down from above the next flight.

"I swear he must be a robot," Hannah pants from next to me causing me to snort.

"Robot domination evil master plan one. Master the stairs. Complete." I say with a grin.

"Mission two, slaughter petty Humans at the top" Megan finishes for me causing the four of us to laugh as we finally reach the top.

"What tapestry is it next to?" Hannah asks still panting and wheezing.

"Dunno. But I figured out why Hogwarts doesn't have P.E." Gregor pants from his position slumped against the wall. I collapse and lie flat out in the middle if the hall, my legs slowly turning into jelly. I master enough energy to snort before my head falls back on the floor and I close my eyes. Next to me I sense Steph copying Gregor and my idea.

"Let's just rest up a bit, yes?" Hannah suggests as she slides down the wall.

Several murmurs of agreement follow her question.

After an unknown time of lying on the floor, arm hanging over the top step, my heart decided to resume its normal pace and my breathing followed soon after.

"We ready?" I ask as I sit up, looking at the various states of my friends.

"Do we have to?" Steph complains but she grabs my offered hand and pulls herself up.

"Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy." I inform everyone as we start walking down the hall.

"Why don't we use the point me spell?" Megan asks from the back.

"Cause we are exploring." Gregor tells her with a grin, "and the best way to explore is blindly."

"Found it!" Steph shouts from around a corner to which we all run around to see her standing in front of a picture of a short, mad man attempting to teach trolls ballet.

I stand and watch as the short guy shouts up at the three large, stick wielding trolls whom just look at him strangely.

Rolling my eyes, I turn my back on him and instead stare at the empty slab of wall. Walking up to it, I close my eyes and begin pacing.

We need somewhere to relax and talk freely. We need somewhere we can relax and talk freely. We need a place to relax and talk freely.

A low grinding noise answers my thoughts and I open my eyes to see a large, dark brown door on the previously blank wall. With a smile, I step forward and open the door to step inside and gasp at the sight.


	12. Chapter 12 - Unorganised Planning

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter Twelve_

Unorganized Planning

Inside the door is an exact replica of the atrium of our High School. And over in the far corner is our tree and our bench. I walk over to it and sit down in my spot, a grin on my face I look out to the familiar pretty garden.

Before arriving here, Megan, Steph and I had completely finished school. We're never going to return. I didn't think we were going to sit here again, all of us in our group. Looking about, Hannah, Gregor, Adam and Megan have all taking their seats around me.

"Anyone got a pack of cards?" I ask with a lopsided grin.

"Why the atrium?" Hannah asks, looking around.

"I asked for somewhere we could speak freely and relax. The place we are happiest together has always been sitting here at lunch, hasn't it?" I reply.

"Yeah, typical that. The place we feel most relaxed together is the place we hated the most." Megan laughs as she leans back, looking up at the cloudy day.

"What are we gonna do though?" Steph asks, seriousness filling her posture.

"Well... Live through Hogwarts I guess," I tell her.

"But are we saving people from dying?" Steph continues, looking directly at me.

"I think we should. This is why Mr. D brought us here, wasn't it?" I continue, looking back at her.

"But who do we save and when?" Megan cuts in.

"Well first of would be Cedric, wouldn't it?" Hannah says logically.

"What about Quirrel?" Steph queries.

"We were told not to change anything this year and next." I tell her, secretly though, I don't want to save him. He willingly allowed Voldemort into his head. "And I don't think it is possible to save him anyway." I finish

"Yeah, probably not. But the basilisk next year. We have told everyone we are half-bloods. If we see it, we will be attacked. It only attacks Muggleborn's." Gregor frowns.

"What is the story you are telling everyone?" Hannah asks, looking towards me and Steph.

"That we are all cousins." Steph tells her.

"That's a bit... Far-fetched isn't it?" Gregor asks from his corner next to Hannah.

"Yes, but it would explain how we all know each other." I explain, "All of us being Muggleborn and being in the same town is incredibly unlikely."

"What's the plan for this year?" Adam asks as he leans on the wall next to Steph.

"Make connections. Try and become friend with Cedric. Gain his trust." I tell them, looking at Hannah and Megan.

"Okay. So basically, make friends." Hannah Summarizes unnecessarily.

"Yes." I say.

"Okay. So what about next year. Isn't next year the snake?" Adam asks.

"We be extra careful. But if one of us do get caught, we'll have to say your magical parent was a squib. That's technically a Muggleborn, yes?" Gregor says. I nod in agreement.

"And third year will be easy as Sirius is gonna be freed soon. Then Voldemort won't come back because Pettigrew doesn't find him." I continue.

"What about Crouch Jr?" Megan asks, "He's under the imperious curse just now. That will still be weakening at the World Cup. He might still escape and be the one that brings Voldy back."

I breathe in deeply, frowning as I think of the possibilities of us changing everything. It's a lot more work than fanfictions usually make it seem.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it." I finally answer.

"What are you all going to do with Harry?" I ask. "In to help or staying out of it?"

"In" Hannah tells me immediately, beside her, Gregor nods.

"Me too."

"I'm in. I wanna help." Megan answers.

"I'll help. This should be a lot funner than sitting at home killing people on my computer." Adam says with a grin.

"I don't want to be in any battles though," Hannah continues, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm a coward."

"No you're not. We need brains to help as well." Megan tells her.

"Yeah, but I won't be fighting, you will all think if me as a coward."

"Don't you dare ever think I think that of you! I would never think that of any of you, no matter what you choose. This is a battle to the death most likely. This is real. Maybe we won't all make it out. Maybe when we die here, we go back to our time. None of us are proper adults yet. We are still technically kids. I'm surprised this many of us are willing to join. This is going to be dangerous. And self-preservation is not a weakness. It's smart. It's how the human race is still alive. So don't you ever say anything like that again." I rant, entirely truthfully.

We have all come to a realization via my speech.

Being at Hogwarts isn't as great as it's made out to be. Yeah back in my time I read a lot of fanfictions were people go to Hogwarts and all is fun and games. They muck around. They enjoy themselves, they don't have to worry about any problems. But this is not fanfiction. This is real. And this is our very real life's on the line. We might not all make it through seven years.

But it's a risk I am willing to take.


	13. Chapter 13 - Long Morning

**Changing the Past**

_Chapter thirteen_

Long Morning

We were all very subdued as we left the room of requirement and headed silently to our separate dorms.

As soon as Steph and I walked into the Gryffindor common room, a bossy looking second year ran up to us.

"Which one of you is Emma Nelson?" He asks pompously. _God, another Percy!_ I thought in horror before answering him.

"I am. Why?"

"Professor Quirrel asked me to give you this." He says, handing me a piece of paper before waltzing off up the boy's staircase.

"Nice little fellow," I compliment sarcastically as I open the letter to find my detention is tomorrow night. "Aw great! More time spent in his stinking classroom!" I complain as we find a space on the floor opposite the portrait hole to sit at.

"You did get yourself into this mess," Steph chastises me with a wry smile.

"Not my fault. I was just trying to save my breathing. Can't help being a vampire, can I?" I tell her with a grin. She rolls her eyes and starts looking around the common room. I copy her, Harry and Ron are sitting together talking in one corner, and next to them is a group of girls around fourteen years old, all giggling and looking over at Harry.

"God I feel sorry for him," I say, indicating Harry. Steph murmurs in agreement.

"What's the time?" I ask Steph but a passing girl answers.

"Quarter past 9."

"That late already! How long did it take to walk up to the RQ?" Steph asks in shock.

"No idea, but I'm going to bed." I inform her as I get up and begin to walk towards the dorms.

"Same here." Steph calls, walking after me.

In our room, we find Hermione lying on her bed reading _Hogwarts: A History _and Padma and Lavender sitting on Lavenders bed talking.

"Hello!" I say brightly as I head over to my bed. Hermione hums a greeting, too absorbed in her book to take proper notice.

"Hi Emma, Steph." Lavender says with a smile.

"How was your first day?" I ask as I sit on my bed, looking around at the others eagerly.

"Okay I guess." Parvati tells me.

"Favorite class so far?" Steph asks as she sits in her own bed.

"Charms." I answer immediately.

"History of Magic." Lavender tells us with a grin, "nap time."

"Charms" Parvati says.

"Potions." Steph tells us.

"Huh? You weren't even there?" Parvati asks her.

"Exactly." Steph grins as she pulls her curtains closed and begins to change.

I walk through to the adjoining bathroom and have a nice long shower before brushing my teeth and changing into my Jamie's, folding my clothes over the towel rack and leaving them for the morning. I then walk back into the room to find Hermione is the only one not in her own Jamie's.

"Hermione?" I ask, she looks up from her books, her eyes slightly glazed.

"Hmm?"

"You getting any sleep tonight?"

"Yeah! Of course! Just let me finish my chapter." I can't help but laugh at her. I have been like that so many times before back home in my own time. And I can easily still picture myself doing the exact same thing again in the library here.

"Okay dokies." I say with a smile as I lie down in my bed.

Steph, Parvati, Lavender and I chat about meaningless things and eventually, I fall asleep, lost in the lull of their voices.

. . .

Miraculously, when I wake up the next day, everyone else is still asleep. I grin, eyes lighting up as an idea springs to mind.

Five minutes and four buckets of freezing cold water later, I lay them on the floor next to each suspect's bed and stand back.

"Winguardiam Liviosa" I say quietly, concentrating on the four buckets.

Slowly, they all rise in the air and float towards the heads of my four dorm mates. Just as Steph's bucket reaches her head, the spell brakes and I stumble back, feeling suddenly drained.

Four identical screams of shock, then frustration, then anger meet me as I look back up, heaving a deep breathe. The four girls are glaring daggers at me, Steph leans over and picks up her wand.

My eyes widen, this time in fear. Without a seconds thought, I dash towards the bathroom and lock it.

My cloak and clothes from last night are now folded and clean on top of the sink counter. I put them on, silently thanking the house elves.

Once fully dressed, I stand facing the door, Hermione, Steph, Lavender and Parvati are all still complaining angrily.

Taking in a deep breathe, I pull on my Gryffindor courage and place my hand on the handle, my other hand on the lock. Releasing the breath, I open the door.

And run.

I run and don't stop till I am hopelessly lost, then, I properly look around me, stomach beginning to growl.

Spotting a window further down the corridor, I walk towards it to figure out how far I had gotten.

Outside is a view of the large, dark blue lake. Looking at the grass below, I estimate I am still about four floors up.

Time to find more stairs then.

I continue down the corridor I am in until I reach a fork. I stand, contemplating before lifting a finger to the left corridor.

"Eenie," I switch my finger to point to the right corridor, "meanie," I switch back to the left corridor, "Minnie" I continue this pattern until I finish with "mo." pointing at the right corridor.

_Oh great_... I think, _since I'm pointing right, does that mean I go right or does it mean I have to go left? _Rolling my eyes at my own stupidity, I turn and head down the left corridor.

"That's great Emma. Go get lost. Best idea you could ever come up with! Plus, if anyone walks past, they're gonna think I'm insane cause I'm talking aloud to myself... But I am already insane, so who cares?"

"I do!"

"Huh?" I turn to my right where the voice was coming from, and found a painting of a very grumpy looking little old lady.

"You heard me!" She snarks back. I raise an eyebrow.

"You can talk! You're a painting!" I snark back with equal sass in my tone.

"Oh got eyes in that thick skull of yours then?" The beady eyed, bright red haired painting glares at me.

"Don't know. I can't really see my eyes. Can you see them? Are they there?" I ask, raising the pitch of my voice in fake terror.

"A young witch in my time would never have dreamed of being so disrespectful to their elders!" The painting screeched back at me.

"Does this mean you can't see my eyes?" I ask, "Oh word! I don't want to be a blind monster! Help me!" And with that, I ran down the end of that corridor, turned a corner and found some stairs.

With a large smile plastered on my face, I make my way down four flights and find myself next to the entrance to the dungeons. Knowing exactly where I am now, I head to the great hall and walk over to the Hufflepuff table to sit next to Hannah who is half way through her toast.

"Morning," I say brightly as I sit next to my longest ever friend.

"Why are you out of breath? It's downstairs to get to here. Not up" Hannah States blankly.

"Steph, Hermione, Lavender and Parvati want to kill me." I tell her, grabbing a couple slices of pancake.

"Who wants to kill you? Do I get to join in?" I roll my eyes and turn to look behind me where Gregor and Adam are we're walking past us. I glare at Adam, the one who had spoken.

"And here I thought I was your favorite human, Adam," I whine, pouting.

"What on earth did you do to them?" Gregor asks, turned to face the door.

In walk my four roommates, talking in a huddle and glaring over at where I'm sitting.

"I may or may not have woken them up by pouring freezing cold water over them." I answer, quickly turning back to my food.

"And what gave you the idea that would be a good way to wake them up?" Hannah asks me wide eyed.

"Hermione, Parvati and Lavender woke me up yesterday by screaming at me." I say moodily, "I wanted revenge." I add with a grin.

"Do you honestly have a death wish?" Hannah asks me, shaking her head.

"Yeah, course! What fun is life without threatening it every once in a while?" I ask with a smile. Megan, across the table from us, laughs.

"What do you have today?" Hannah asks me, I take out my timetable and smile a bit.

"Charms, DADA, Herbology, Transfiguration." I answer.

"We have DADA, History, Herbology then charms." Megan says.

"We have Herbology together YEY!" I grin happily, suddenly looking forward to the day.

"Yes. And Steph has a chance to kill you in Charms." Adam kindly reminds me, my smile deflates.

"Yeah and I sit sandwich end between them," I say with dread, taking another bite of my cereal.

"What's happening with the pranking?" Hannah asks me suddenly.

"I'm gonna write a letter to mysterious mister D and ask for supplies."

"Why would he get you supplies?" Gregor asks doubtfully.

"Cause he has dragged us out of our own time and dropped us of here five years before I was even born!"

"What year is it?" Gregor asks from behind. Curious as to why they are still behind us, I turn to see them sitting at Ravenclaw table... Directly behind me.

"1991" I answer. He nods, a frown appearing on his face before turning back to His breakfast.  
"Google won't even exist for another seven years!" I continue, "And doctor who finished two years ago and the next one, the movie, won't be out until 1996." I think I deserve some entertainment."

"At least The Hobbit is still out!" Finlay says happily. I glare at her.

"We are going to miss the next doctor who episode. How am I supposed to check out the next doctor if we are in 1991! We have to wait twenty three years!"

"Wow! We are going to get to witness the 1999 to 2000 celebrations!" Hannah says excitedly.

I grin at that. I was three going on four back then. I can't remember it at all, a fact that always makes me sad.

"Back on topic," Hannah begins, grinning at me, "when are you going to write the letter?"

"Lunch," I tell her.

"What are you planning?" She responded with a grin.

"A howler." I announce happily.

"How is a howler a prank?" Megan asks with a frown.

"By the contents of the howler." I answer to which I relieved confused looks.

"You'll find out." I say mysteriously.

"Okay. We're going to head to class. See you Emma," Megan tells me, getting up and taking Hannah with her.

"Well that's me dismissed." I tell the air around me before getting up and switching to the seat behind me, between the two boys.

"Hello 'claws!" I say happily.

"Morning Gryff" Adam answers back just as cheerfully.

"What age do you reckon we are?" Gregor asks me.

"Umm ten or eleven, why?"

"Gregor and I have been trying to work it out." Adam answers for him.

"Well, thinking about our birthdays, and generally you have to be eleven to start Hogwarts..." I begin, a mental calendar fixing itself in my mind's eye. "I'm going to guess I am eleven, turning twelve in January. Steph is most likely also eleven, going to turn twelve next February. Hannah will be twelve in February."

"Gregor will be eleven. Adam, you will be eleven, Finlay will probably be turning eleven on the twenty first, or will that be twelve?"

"Yeah, that's generally what we came up with." Adam agreed. "We will be turning twelve, throughout the year.

"Why aren't you in 'claw?" Gregor asks with a frown. I snort.

"Are you kidding me!? I can't pay attention in class. A skill 'claws generally have."

"Fair enough." Gregor answers smirking.

"What do you have today?" I ask them as we get up, getting ready to head to class.

"Transfiguration, charms, DADA then History of magic and Astronomy at midnight." Adam answers immediately, not needing to look at his timetable.

"Ouch!" I say, dreading Astronomy myself.

"What do you have?" Gregor asks me as we stop at the bottom of the stairs.

"Charms, DADA, Herbology then transfiguration." I tell them.

"See you then." Adam and Gregor call as they turn left, I turn right.

With a sigh, I head up the next flight of stairs and turn the corner to the charms corridor.

Reaching the door, Hermione, Steph, Lavender and Parvati step around the other side of the corridor and four equal glares find themselves directed at me.

I gulp. This is going to be an interesting day.


	14. Chapter 14 - Transfiguration

Thankfully, the glares seem to be the worst I am receiving from the four girls. When we were partnered up in Charms to discuss our essays, Hermione seemed happy enough to talk to me, yet at several intervals, she would stop and just glare until I apologized.

After Charms was Defense against the Dark arts which went much the same as yesterday, minus the detentions and leaving class.

At lunch, after my fill of energy high foods, I decided to head up to the owerly, bringing Steph and Hannah with me.

It was a long twenty minute flight up a bazillion and a half stairs.

Once up and able to breathe again, I pull out my ready prepared parchment and began to write.

_Dear Mr. D,_

_I would like to first thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience the true Hogwarts. But, at the same time, ask what gave you the idea that we were right for the job. We are supposed to be muggles, no magic what so ever. I would also like to ask how we have magic, what kind if spell did you use that caused muggles to travel back AND have magic. _

_Did we really have to bring us back to eleven years old? Puberty is not nice the first time, never mind repeating it. _

Hannah, who is reading over my shoulder as I write, snorts.

_We have set to work the plan of setting Sirius Black free, his trial should be soon. Dumbledore knows who we are, he didn't seem very happy though. _

_Lastly, I would like to request for accessible funds during our year as I would like to place some extra curriculum orders. _

_Thank you for this opportunity,_

_Many thanks, _

_Emma N_

With the letter finished, I look around and pick a small, light brown owl, I hold the letter out to it to witch it sticks out a claw.

I attach the letter.

"Could you please deliver this to Mr. D?" I ask it hesitantly. Instead of answering, it gets up and flutters out the window.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," I say to the window, Hannah and Steph laugh.

"That was easy." Hannah says as we turn and head out of the room.

"Yeah, but time for classes now, hopefully we will get a reply soon." I answer as we reach a flight of stairs. I turn to Steph, "what in Merlin's name do we have now?"

"Herbology," Steph and Hannah both answer. I grin.

"This ought to be fun."

By the time we navigated down all the stairs, and out onto the front lawn, the bell rang causing us to have to run the distance from the castle to the greenhouses.

"Nice of you to join us," the plump, red haired witch says as we run, panting into the greenhouse.

"Sorry, got lost." I answer as we make our way to the back benches where a slightly huffy Megan was waiting.

"Thanks for bringing me along," she huffs at me as I take a stand next to her.

"I invited you and you ignored me!" I whine unhappily.

"I never heard you," she complains before we are hushed the teacher AND Hermione.

For our first lesson, we were told to take down notes on plant fertilization and the differences between muggle and wizarding plants. I grew bored very quickly.

After Herbology we all walked up to the entrance hall together before splitting up again, Steph and I towards transfiguration, the others to Charms.

McGonagall quickly set us to work transforming matches into needles.

I, however, got a stubborn match. No matter how many times I pointed my wand and said the words, it wouldn't change.

"Paracu!" I try again, beginning to get frustrated at the stupid thing. Nothing happened.

"Paracu!" I try again, this time allowing my anger to reach my voice, the match turned silver, but was still match shaped.

"Emma, calm down, you'll get it eventually," Steph says from next to me, her own needle having a sharp end to it.

"Jab your wand with less force," Hermione suggests, her own match a perfect needle already.

I point my wand towards the stupid match and jab sharply, "Paracu!"

The match turns into a needle, just as good as Hermione's yet, at the same time, a crushing sense of weakness washes over me and everything goes black.


	15. Chapter 15 - Explanations

The darkness slowly gave way to multiple voices blurring around me. With a groan, I was able to force my eyes open to see Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore standing over me, Madame Pomfrey bustling about to my side.

"What on earth happened?" I croak out, _apparently my throat gave way as well as my body. _

"An overuse of magic." Madame Pomfrey says briefly, sending a glare towards McGonagall.

"How? It was just a simple spell, wasn't it?" I ask, basing my question over to the stern teacher.

"It appears," Dumbledore answers for me, "that your body is not yet ready to use your magic to that extent. Did you cast any spells earlier on today?"

"Well I lifted four buckets of water with the levitation spell." I tell him, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey look at me, both bug eyed.

"You lifted four buckets filled with water at the same time?" McGonagall asks quietly.

"But you're a first year!" Madame Pomfrey objects at the same time.

"Did you feel anything afterwards?" Dumbledore asks me, ignoring his two members of staff.

"Well I felt drained afterwards but it only lasted a few seconds." I answer truthfully.

"Madame Pomfrey, could you please do a magic level scan on Miss Nelson?" Dumbledore asks, turning to look at the witch.

"All right..." She says slowly before lifting her wand and pointing it at me. A light blue aura appears around my body, mingled in with greens and purples.

"But- but that's impossible!" Madame Pomfrey gasps as soon as the aura fades.

"What?" I ask, _they know I was a muggle, dear Merlin did it have to get out so easily? _

"You have the magical core of an eighteen year old." Dumbledore explains for me as Madame Pomfrey is currently gaping open mouthed at me.

"Albus, how is that possible?" McGonagall asks, turning to face the awesome beard that is the headmaster.

"More to the point-" I cut in, "if I have a magical core that size, how come I passed out?"

"Your body is not yet able to cope with that amount of power." Madame Pomfrey says, finally remembering how to speak.

"So I'm not able to do magic until I'm actually eighteen?" I ask, disappointment beginning to flow in me. _How come the others don't have this problem? Why just me?_

"No no, you can do magic, but you have to train your body first." Dumbledore tells me, my eyes widen, images of the dreaded bleep test* at school running threw me, my legs begin to ache in memory.

"How?" I ask suspiciously

"You need to strengthen your body in order to allow it to harness all the power you hold." Madame Pomfrey answers me.

"So I need to run a lap every morning?" I ask hesitantly.

"You need to run multiple laps every morning as well as doing at least three low level spells a day, slowly increasing both the amount of laps and spells as you do," Madame Pomfrey continues.

"Whoopee!" I say in false excitement. I _despise_ running.

"It will help you become stronger." McGonagall tells me, sounding slightly sympathetic. I turn to Dumbledore questioningly, looking him in the eyes, the thought of my friends on my mind.

"If you could please excuse us, I would like to talk to Miss Nelson alone," Dumbledore states, keeping his sparkling blue eyes on me.

"But-" Madame Pomfrey immediately tries to complain, but by a stare from the headmaster, she sighs and walks back to her office. McGonagall heads the other direction, muttering about a class she has to prepare for. With a slam, both doors close and I am left, all alone, with the headmaster.

"Why has no one else had this?" I ask him immediately, he moves around the bed and sits on one of the two hard backed wooden chairs.

"How old were you all before you came back?" He asks me, staring intently into my eyes. I have a vague feeling he's probably using occlumency but I ignore it.

"I was eighteen, Megan, Steph, and Adam seventeen, Hannah and Gregor were sixteen." I answer immediately.

"I believe, the reason you are the only one experiencing this is because you are of age in both the wizarding and the muggle world. In this case, you have the full power you would have had, fully mature. Yet your friends, especially the four who were seventeen will also have a high amount of power, but not as much." He tells me.

"I'll just pretend that made sense." I reply, raising an eyebrow.

"Think of it this way, a fruit becomes ripe when it is deemed juicy enough by the puckers, yes?" Dumbledore asks. I frown, not exactly understanding where his idea is going, but I nod anyways. "So, in wizarding terms, this fruit has reached maturity, seventeen years. It has all the power needed to survive on its own. But, if you take that apple and leave it a little longer, its seeds will begin to grow, creating more power, understand so far?"

In all honestly, I am completely lost. But I don't want him to go over it again, so instead I nod, keeping my expression blank.

"When the seeds are hatched, the apple grows in power even more. The power inside the apple doubles.

"To us, when we reach muggle age of maturity, our power grows more, it festers and develops as we grow, preparing to double in order to give life."

I frown again. What he's saying, is that although wizards reach maturity at seventeen and can legally cast magic everywhere, the magic within them is still growing, getting stronger.

"In your case, your soul was brought back and shaped into the image we see, your eleven year old self. The magic that entered you is the magic witch would be held in your eighteen year old body, the magic a soul of eighteen years can easily hold and maintain. Yet you are in an eleven year old body witch will struggle to hold and use the vast amount of energy and magic in it." I start to nod, now understanding.

"But, does that mean that they're power will grow to that of an eighteen year olds on their birthdays?" I ask him.

"I honestly don't know," he tells me, shaking his head, "possibly their powers will remain as they are until they reach their normal ages, or it will grow. We won't know."

"You'll find out soon, Finlay's birthday is on the 21st," I tell him with a smile.

"Either way," Dumbledore finishes, standing up and nodding towards the infirmary doors, "I believe you have a detention to be attending?"

I groan.

*bleep test was our gym teacher's way of torturing us. A big tape would beep every so often. We would have to run from one end of the hall to the other before the next bleep. The longer you ran though, the closer together the beeps would get and so, as you got more tired, you'd be forced to run FASTER in order to keep up. No one wanted to be the first to give up...


	16. Chapter 16 - Detention

I stand outside Professor Quirrel's door and take in my last breath of fresh, unpolluted air.

I raise my fist and knock on the door of doom four times.

"C-c-come in," The annoying fake stutter drifts out through the door. I groan before opening and stepping in.

"Professor," I say as I step into the stinkfest.

"M-m-miss N-Nelson, t-take a seat."

I glare at the teacher, the image of Voldemort on the back of his head burning into my retinas. My anger boils, _how could Dumbledore be so stupid as to allow this-this prat into the school_.

"I said, take a s-s-seat" Quirrel says, his voice turning sharp, but I catch the lack of a stutter and smirk.

"You can cut the act," I tell him simply.

"I-I d-don't know wh-what you mean" he stutters back, I roll my eyes.

"I have a strange talent on knowing when someone is lying to me, and my spider senses have been tingling since the first time you spoke." I say, my eyes narrowed.

"It appears you do have a brain in there after all," Quirrel reply's, thankfully cutting the stuttering act.

"Why the act?" I ask him, "Remember my senses before you answer."

Instead of answering, his face turns red and he stands up, pointing his wand at me which starts to spit out green sparks.

"Bad idea sir, my friends and the headmaster all know where I am. You will immediately be under suspicion if I suddenly disappear."

"No one would suspect me if I tell them you never arrived in the class in the first place," he answers. I gulp loudly, _I hadn't thought of that._

"Steph walked with me here, she watched me enter." I lie quickly. He narrows his eyes, unsure on Whether or not to call my bluff.

"My reasons are for me to know." He tells me, "now sit down, you still have a detention to complete."

"Sure about that?" I ask him.

"Stupefy!" A jet of red light shoots towards me and with a gasp, I dive to the floor, the spell crashes into the wall behind me.

"Watch it!" I exclaim as I nervously raise my head to look at the deranged teacher.

"Sit down and complete your detention or you will never see the light of day again." He snarls at me, with a short nod, I decide to take a seat and stop provoking the guy.

"You will write_ 'I will not disrespect a teacher," _until I tell you to stop." He tells me. With a glare, I get my quill out of my pocket and begin to write, dipping into ink every so often.

By the twentieth line, my arm begins to ache, but I carry on, slightly changing the working to "I_ will disrespect a teacher," _

By the fiftieth line, the wording seems to have changed again, this time to "_Quirrel is worthy of disrespecting." _

This line carried on until somewhere in the mid hundreds where it found itself, once again, changed to "_Quirrel is a weak fraud, worse than Lockhart," _due to the length of the line however, it quickly got changed yet again to "_Muggleborn's rule, purebloods suck." _

Sometime after that, Quirrel told me I could go, asking me to hand the paper in. I chucked it towards him and ran out the door before he could say anything to me about it.

. . .

"Emma! You're okay!" Steph shouts as soon as I enter the common room, nursing my aching wrist.

"'Course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" I ask, but she narrows her eyes at me.

"Why did you collapse?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," I answer, pointing towards the dorms, "I'll need to tell the others as well."

"Okay. How'd detention go?" She asks instead.

"He made me write lines." I answer truthfully.

"That was it?" She asks.

"Yeah, weird what he told me to write," I say, "I had to write Muggleborn's rule, Purebloods suck." Steph looks at me blankly before bursting out laughing.

"He's gonna kill you when he sees that!" She gasps between laughs as we enter our dorm. I get our communication book out and open it to the front page.

**Anyone there? **I ask, then sit back with Steph and wait. A couple minutes later, several replies arrive at once.

Hannah: _Emma! We heard what happened, are you all right? _

Megan: _we're here_

Adam: _look who joins the land of the living! _

I roll my eyes at Adam and put my quill back down.

**Fancy sneaking up to the RoR? I've gotta tell you all something.**

Hannah: _can't you tell us here? _

Adam: _you breaking more rules so soon after the first? _

Megan: _I don't think sneaking out is such a good idea, Emma, curfew was half an hour ago. _

**Well unless you all want to suddenly be woken up to take a morning jog with me tomorrow morning with no explanations... **I write back, smirking as I await the predicted answers.

Megan: _WHAT!? You're kidding, right?_

Hannah:_ is this some kind of joke? It's not funny!_

Gregor: _the stairs not enough for you?_

Adam: _finally! You understand the importance of being healthy_

Steph_: does this include me too? _

**Yes, Steph,** I answer, **we all have to do it. If you all get yourselves to the RoR in the next half hour, I will explain. Use Silencio and wear dark clothes. **

Hannah: _all right, but if we get caught, you're getting the blame. _

Megan: _I'm not sure about this... _

Adam: _great! See you all soon. _

**Bye guys, me And Steph will be their shortly. **

I put the book down and turn to Steph. "Can you put Silencio on me?" I ask her, she frowns and opens her mouth then shuts it again before opening it and casting the spell. She casts it on herself and we walk back out the dorm.

Thankfully, our common room to the RoR isn't too far so we arrive their just after Gregor and Adam.

"Why are we here?" Gregor asks as we walk up to them.

"Cause I thought you would like to know why we will be going a run around the Quidditch field tomorrow morning.

"What!?" He asks, in a high, very female like voice, bright blue eyes almost bugging out of his head.

"You heard me." I answer as the Hufflepuff's reach us.

"It's a pity we don't have anyone in Slytherin."

"Well?" Megan asks as we sit down, "why am I being made to run tomorrow morning?"

"To train our bodies to be able to cope with the magic we hold." I answer them simply.

"Why do I suddenly have a feeling I'm going to dread mornings?" Steph asks with a frown.

"Apparently it will make us stronger as well, we will be able to control our powers better." I tell them.

"Okay, this sounds great, what time?" Adam asks, looking exited at the prospect, the only one of is to look exited.

"We're gonna start running at six." I tell him.

"All right, I will get Gregor up." He says. I turn to the Hufflepuff's, no one volunteers.

"How do you get to your common room?" I ask with a sigh.

"You know where the kitchens are?" Hannah asks me, I frown, but shake my head.

"The corridor just right to the great hall, walk down there, turn right, right then left. In the middle of that hallway is a set of six barrels. Tap the second barrel in the tune to Helga Hufflepuff, and you will get in." She tells me. I nod, right, right, left, second barrel, Helga Hufflepuff.

"Got it." I answer. With that, we all get up and head back to our common rooms.

Back in our tower, I head straight to bed, already dreading the morning.


	17. Chapter 17 - Worst Morning, Ever

With a jerk, I suddenly find myself wide awake in the dorm, confusion filters through me as I try and figure out why I am awake.

Then it comes to me.

_Running_.

I groan and step out of my bed and walk over to Steph, shaking her awake.

"What is it?" She grumbles, half lifting her head of her pillow to glare sleepily at me, her ginger hair tangled behind her ear, "it had better be good... Or else"

"Get up!" I hiss back at her.

"Why?" She moans, turning and face planting back into her pillow.

"We're going for a run." I answer, to which her hand miraculously finds my stomach and punches it, hard.

"Oooof!" I gasp out as I land on the floor, glaring up at her.

"I'll only run if you wear a lobster suit." She mumbles from the pillow.

"You'll run cause Dumbledore told you to." I say back, slowly standing and rubbing my stomach. "Either get up or I get another bucket of water." I then warn her.

"Tell Dumbledore to run a mile!" She moans, lifting her head up long enough to place her pillow over her ginger mop.

"I'm going to get the water," I tell her, walking away from her bed towards the bathroom.

"I'll sleep in your bed." She says, lifting her head to glare at me.

"I'll still do it, and you know I will," I tell her, her eyes narrow dangerously.

"I'll find a toad to stick down your back."

I shiver slightly, "the shock would probably kill it," I tell her with a grin. "Don't you want to help me wake Hannah and Megan up?" I then add, before she can actually get out of bed and beat me to a pulp.

"I like the sound of that, as long as it involves water and buckets." She answers, a grin spreading across her previously disgruntled face.

"'Course, how else are we gonna wake them up?" I smirk back to which she begins laughing. And jumps out of bed, reaching underneath to find some clothes.

. . .

Standing next to a pile of sixteen, large barrels, Steph I stare at them blankly.

"Which one do we hit?" I ask them to witch I receive shrugs.

"Just pick one, what's the worst that can happen?" Steph says. So I pull my wand out and pick a random barrel.

"Hel-ga huff-le-puff" I say as I hit the barrel, a vile, vinegar smelling substance shoots out of the barrel, immediately covering us.

"I'm betting that's the wrong one." I splutter, spitting the stuff out of my mouth, my eyes watering as it runs down my hair, dripping into them.

"What gave you that idea!?" Steph hisses from next to me, equally covered in vinegar as I am.

"Try the second one." I tell her, she immediately steps back.

"You try!" She whines.

No!" I did the first one." I complain.

With a sigh, she repeats my previous actions on another barrel to which an opening reveals itself to the left of the barrels. I glare at the ginger. "That's just showing off." I mutter as I storm last her, muttering "scourgify" as I do, the icky vinegar stuff vanishing from my skin.

"Wow! It's even cozier than ours!" I say as we enter the bright, homely looking room. A staircase to the left reads "males" and one to the right reads "Females". Steph and I turn to the female staircase.

Steph and I vanish up the staircase.

The first door we come to has a large sight reading "first year girl's welcome here!"

"Plan of action?" Steph whispers as we open the door slowly, wincing at every squeak.

"Go straight to the bathroom, fill two buckets with water, you take Hannah, and I'll take Megan." Steph grins and we both sidle into the room, heading directly to the door on the other side.

The dorm room is much like ours, but the beds have yellow covers and white hangings, the entire room is much brighter than ours.

Once we have the buckets, we eyeball the beds.

The small, mousy blonde head nearest the bathroom is easily identifiable as Hannah, Steph stands at the ready.

Walking towards the next bed, I peek a look to see auburn black hair. Megan.

"How do we stop Susan and the other Hannah from waking up?" I ask, Steph pulls her wand out and pints it to each bed individually, "Silencio" she states both times.

I shake my head before moving to stand directly above Megan. Steph levitates Hannah's bucket.

"Three," I begin,

"Two," Steph says, grinning wildly.

"One!" We both whisper, dropping the two buckets of water and quickly leaping back.

"I'm going to kill you!" Hannah screams, leaping out of her bed towards Steph who squeaks and runs out the room.

"What did you do that for?" Megan grumps, glaring at me as she shakes herself.

"How else were we gonna wake you?" I ask.

"Not that way!" Megan answers, an equal death glare pointed my way. Hannah walks back into the room, looking drenched but satisfied.

Steph does not reappear.


	18. Chapter 18 - Running

"Hannah..." I say slowly, still staring at the door. The door where Steph still hasn't reappeared

"What?" She snaps back from behind her curtains, getting changed.

"What did you do to Steph?"

"Nothing." She says sweetly. _Too sweetly._

"Hannah," I say warningly, her head appears out of the curtains, "she ran out the Common Room." She says as she vanishes behind the white curtains again.

"Why exactly did you chose to wake us up that way?" Megan asks, coming out from her curtains fully dressed.

"Cause we got attacked by vinegar." I pout.

Both of them snort in laughter as Hannah comes from her curtains.

"We ready to go?" I ask, my voice high with fake excitement.

"No!" Megan pouts.

"No ruddy chance." Hannah glares. I roll my eyes.

"It's just a little run." I say sadly, grinning as I walk out of the room.

I walk ahead of them back into the common room where Steph is peeking her head through the door.

"Is it safe?" She asks me, wide eyes.

"Yes," I sigh back, rolling my eyes yet again.

"No!" Hannah contradicts from behind me. Steph squeaks and her face quickly vanishes behind The door again.

"Can we just get this over with?" Megan asks from behind, looking forlornly back at the door towards her bed.

With a sigh, I nod my head and walk out, glaring at the barrels as I do so. Within ten minutes, we reach the Quidditch Pitch to see Adam and Gregor had beat us there.

"Get a move on!" Adam complains as we reach hearing distance, "we've been out here for forever!"

"You didn't have to wake this lot up," I reply grumpily as we reach their side then look at the pitch.

It is _Ginormous_.

"There is no way, absolutely NO WAY, we are gonna be able to run around this thing." I state blankly.

"Are we all here?" A strong, commanding female voice asks from behind us. Turning with a frown, we are met by the fierce looking Madame Hooch.

"Uh yeah..." I answer slowly, watching her.

"Dumbledore told me you will probably bring your friends along." She tells me, frowning slightly.

"Along for what?" I ask her, my mind completely blank.

"I am to ensure you complete the three laps assigned by the nurse every morning." She tells me to witch the blankness in my mind immediately vanishes. _Three laps? THREE laps. She's kidding, right? I heard her wrong, I must have heard her wrong..._

"Uh I don't think she said three laps," I tell her, turning back to look at the never ending pitch.

"That's what the headmaster told me so that's what you will be doing." She says with finality.

"We don't have to though, do we? We just came along," Hannah asks quietly from next to Steph.

"All of you are to complete three laps running every morning for a month."

"What!?"

"A month!"

"Why a hole month?"

"I'm going back to bed." We all freeze and look towards Megan who turns and heads back to the castle.

"Oh no you're not!" With a wave of her wand, Hooch brings Megan zooming back towards us. "Now, I will set a bludger free and have it chase after you all. If you stop, it has permission to harm." With another wave of her wand, a large, evil looking ball flies towards us. "I'd start running." She adds as the ball heads straight towards Steph.

Steph screams and turns tail, starting to run the side of the pitch. Satisfied, the ball turns to me.

Deciding I'm not in the mood to be butchered by a bludger, I quickly sped after Steph, Adam, Hannah, and Megan directly behind me.

I start of quite well, catching up to her and running side by side. This lasts half the pitch, then I start slowing, my chest aching and breathes coming in short gasps. By three quarters around, I am stumbling, barely breathing with the bludger kept about a meter behind me.

_God I am seriously unhealthy_! I think to myself as I pass by Hooch for the first time, Steph is already half the pitch ahead, Adam running alongside. Hannah and Megan are running about a quarter of the pitch ahead.

"I'm-gonna-kill-that-medi-witch" I pant as I force extra speed into my legs, holding my breath until I catch up with the 'Puffs.

"Why did you have to lead the bludger to us? We were doing well!" Hannah complains, putting on a burst of speed, and laughing as I am, yet again, left to fend of the bludger.

Anger suddenly pours into me. _I didn't ask to come here. I most definitely didn't ask to have too much power. And now, all because of that stupid Mr. D, I am forced to run every single morning before breakfast. _

My anger fueled my speed. I had already reached the first quarter part and I raced ahead, allowing my anger to fuel my speed, making me faster and faster. Soon enough, I had re-caught up with Megan and Hannah but quickly shot past them.

Vaguely, I realized that I must be using magic. There is no way I would physically be able to run this fast as, within the next 5 minutes, I had caught up to, and overtaken, Steph, I was running along Side Adam whom had cut ahead of the ginger.

"How?" He gasps, starting to feel the ache in his own chest.

"Magic," I wink as I speed past him. Soon enough, I was finished and stood by Madame Hooch, smirking as the others finished their own runs.

Turning, I notice the Headmaster walking out the castle towards us, Pomfrey right behind him.

"Emma," Dumbledore starts after reaching us, but Madame Pomfrey cuts in.

"I said three simple spells! Not fueling your magic into running!" She screams, her face turning red as she stares at me, seething.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," I defend myself whilst my friends stare at me wide eyed, panting for breathe.

"You're telling me you didn't realize you suddenly sped up to faster than human speeds? It's a miricle you are still standing!"

"You told me to run then set that mad woman on us!" I exclaim, my arms shooting up into the air.

Madame Hooch opens her mouth but Madame Pomfrey bet her to it.

"I told you to use three SMALL spells a day. You used your magical core to fuel your speed, you won't be able to do magic for a week now!"

"Oh really?" I ask her, sensing a challenge.

"Yes really!" She replies, sharp eyes narrowing.

"I thought my case was impossible. That means you have never experienced it before. So how do you know I am unable to do magic?"

"I have studied my whole life the art of healing, I know how magic works." She informs me.

"Emma..." Megan begins.

"Bad idea." Hannah finishes.

I pull my wand out of my pocket.

"Expecto patronum!" I scream, thoughts of laughing with my friends, acting drunk with my friends And group hugs flashing threw my mind.

A large, white shape shot out my wand, another, slightly darker shot out after it. They turned to look at me and I immediately recognized them.

Samson and Tj. My two German Shepherd dogs.

"Hey boys!" I say as they charge towards me. The slightly darker one, Tj, jumps up, pushing me over. I laugh as I fall back, Samson coming from above and, although they are made of light, I feel tongues pressing against my face. "I miss you all to," I tell them sitting back up as they fade away. Everyone is staring at me, stunned.

"How?" Hooch asks.

"Impossible." Pomfrey continues.

"Two corporeal patroni..." Dumbledore says, sounding amazed.

"Uh guys," I say slowly, feeling light headed, the world starts to spin slightly around me. "I think I really did over exert my self that time." I tell them as I fall to the grass, not even feeling the sharp sting shooting up my spine.

"You stupid, idiotic prat Emma!" Steph screams at me as they crowd around, looking at Pomfrey who rushes towards me.

"I told you." She says sternly, still glaring at me.

"And I never say no to a challenge." I grin weakly, my legs start to ache. "Let's make it just one lap for a while." I finish as I lay down on the grass.

_God_, I think as my eyes shut, I_ really am like some super awesome character in some fanfiction..._


	19. Chapter 19 - Idiocy Pomfrey

"You are an idiot, you know that?" The first thing to break through the darkness is, unfortunately, hearing. Then comes feeling.

And I regret my idiotness now.

My veins are on fire. My bones are aching, my brain is screeching.

"Owwwww," I manage to scrape through my parched throat.

"And serves you right, too!" An oddly familiar stern voice informs me.

"Owwwww," I reply.

"Unfortunately I can't give you a potion to help as it will hinder your magic's healing." The same voice says sneakily.

"Not my fault." I moan, opening my eyes.

They are immediately shut again, tears leaking out of them.

"White. Why in the name of all that is good, do doctors choose WHITE?" I complain, slowly re opening my eyes and looking through the blurriness to see the medi witch standing over me.

"To teach people not to get into a situation where white will hurt their eyes." She informs me. I glare. I don't remember her being this snarky to Harry.

"You know, I'm gonna learn the colour changing charm and turn the room black." I decide out loud.

"I'm witch case it will be MY fault if you find yourself back in here again soon after." Pomfrey informs me with a glare of her own. My own glare withers under her much more superior one.

"How long was I out?" I ask, breaking eye contact.

"Two hours." She replies, stepping away from the bed.

"Can I go back to class?" I them proceed to question lightly.

"If you're able to stand." She challenges. I grin and sit up, then change my mind as a surge of dizziness hits me.

"Maybe not." I concede.

"Are you going to be more careful for now on?" She asks me, stepping away from my bed.

"Yes. Ma'am." I answer, "One lap a day and only three small spells."

"Agreed." She nods, stepping further away and heading back to her office.

"Am I allowed a book?" I ask her as the door opens. A slam answers me.

"Well... This is fun." I inform the white walls of the infirmary after about five minutes.

Sighing, I lie back down, staring at the roof of the infirmary blankly.

Hogwarts isn't so fun if you can't do magic constantly. Three spells a day. That's crap! How am I supposed to- my thoughts are interrupted by an owl flying in through a window?

"Hello, aren't you supposed to wait until breakfast?" I ask it as it sits on the bed next to me. Slowly sitting up, I reach over and take the letter from its leg. "I'm afraid I don't have any treats, but if you go to the owerly, you should find something." I inform the bird who gets up and flys back out the window.

I turn to the letter and begin to read.

_Dear Miss Nelson,_

_Thank you for your letter. I would like to start of saying that regrettably, I cannot inform you of the spell used to bring you back in time. _

_I would also like to pass on my deepest sympathies for forcing you through puppetry again, but I would point out that you have been through it before and so are better prepared this time around. _

_For your request on funds, I have set up accounts for you all at Gringotts with sufficient money to last your years at school as well as extra-curricular activities. Just send a letter to the goblins at the bank and they will send funds to you, hope this helps, _

_Mr. D. _

_Well, that was certainly short and sweet_. I think as I finish reading.

Instead of dwelling however, I grin at the prospect of pranking the twins. Sitting back on the bed again, I begin to plot.

I spend an entire day and night in the infirmary, with hourly checkups before Pomfrey deems me well enough to leave. Even at that, she warns me not to push myself again.

"Now down to the pitch. One lap." She tells me as I leave. I roll my eyes and find my way down the first set of stairs I find.

Unfortunately, the next flight decides to move when I am half way across.

"Damnit!" I growl as I find myself on another corridor. I don't recognize this one. Instead of waiting for the stairs to move back around, I start to explore.

Ten minutes later, I figure out where I am. The third floor corridor.

Fluffy's home.

I turn and back pedal, running from the dreaded door as fast as possible. Even with my love for dogs, this one, cooped up in a tiny room all year, does not pique my interest.

Eventually, I get outside and rush towards the pitch to find the others waiting on me.

Today's run, having only one lap to complete, went much better. We were all panting when we finished and headed to the Great Hall for some breakfast.

"What did I miss yesterday?" I ask as we sit down, I help myself to some buttered toast.

"Not much. Just more lessons, a bit of homework." Steph answers me.

"Fun." I reply sarcastically, "and what do we have today?"

"Potions, Herbology, History then charms." Hermione says, appearing from thin air in the seat opposite me.

"Good morning to you to." I say to her, grinning. She rolls her eyes, pulling a book out of her bag and reading as she begins to eat.

"Great, we got Snivelus first." I complain, "And I don't think Dumbledore will find a way to get us out of this one."


	20. Chapter 20 - Potions

After breakfast, Steph, Hermione and I were met by Draco and his gang of Ugly's.

"Out of my way!" Draco growls, using his cronies to try and push past us.

My morning had been bad enough and I did NOT want to have to deal with him.

"Watch where your putting your slaves." I counter, turning to glare at the thin, pale blonde.

The rest of the Slytherins gather behind their leader.

"Watch your mouth! Do you know who I am?"

"The Ponce Queen?" I ask, making my voice high and innocent sounding. Behind me, Steph stifles a laugh. Draco turns his glare on her.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy and you had best watch who your talking like that too."

"Why? You going to run to your mummy and daddy and tell on me?" I ask. I know I'm being immature, heck I'm an eighteen year old! But _my word _I can't stand stuck up ponces.

"I can have him remove you from Hogwarts." I widen my eyes.

"You mean DUMBLEDORE is your father!?"

"Lucius Malfoy." Is his petulant reply.

"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" I ask, raising my eyebrows and fighting back a smirk.

"I can get you and your family in a lot of trouble." He counters. I snort, _good luck with that!_

"Don't quit your day job." I tell him seriously as I turn and walk away, leaving a seething ponce and his lackeys behind.

"Emma?" Steph says as we enter the dungeon section of the school, the rest of our class plus the Slytherins trailing behind us.

"What?" My tone is snappish, but I'm moody. So it's understandable.

"Please can we prank Malfoy as well as the twins?"

"Oh! I forgot! Mr D got back to me!" I exclaim just as we near Snapes classroom.

"Later." She whispers back as we walk in, taking seats second row from the back, Harry, Ron and Hermione behind us. Hermione does not look happy at the arrangement. Neither does Ron though.

Snape comes billowing in the classroom, shutting the door behind him.

"Settle down," he smirks, walking to the front of the class and glaring at us all. That is an amazing feat that. To both smirk and glare at the same time.

I decide to try.

The result; Steph shoving her wrist down her throat to stop giggling. I mock weep at her, mouthing that I shall never be as boss as Severus Snape. A snort escapes past her wrist causing Mr Bossman to turn our way. He freezes for a second, seeing Steph in her odd position before smirking once more.

"I fear if eating your hand is more important than learning about potions Miss, then I shall have to remove you from my sight."

Steph immediately sobers and removes her hand.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." She says meekly, glaring at me as she does.

"Indeed it shall not." He says, but we all hear the warning in his voice. "Today you shall be brewing the polish potion. Can any of you Dunderheads tell me what it does?"

Hermione shoots her hand in the air. I don't even need to turn around to know she had done so. I put my hand up.

"Nobody?" He asks. I glare at him.

"Appears not." He finishes, smirking as he keeps his gaze to the Slytherin side of the room.

"Sir, if you would care to use those two black pits you call eyes-" I begin, causing the two holes in quiestion to snap to mine, "then you can see that two people can actually answer your quiestion."

"I did not ask you to speak." He says dangerously. I blink, keeping my face blank. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for cheek." He adds. I raise an eyebrow.

"You asked a quiestion, I was going to answer it, you ignored me. You brought it on yourself, sir." I say calmly.

"Detention."

"Another one!? At this rate I'm gonna be worse that the Weasely twins!" I groan, glaring at the man.

"You will learn not to back chat a teacher."

"You should learn to treat people fairly." I answer.

"I think a weeks worth of detentions will suffice." I open my mouth to reply again but a sharp pain on my leg stops me, I turn my glare on Steph who places a finger to her mouth, shaking her head as she does. I sigh.

"When?"

"My office, 7pm every night this week."

"And where, exactly, is your office? Incase you hadn't noticed, we JUST arrived here. And no map was handed out either."

"Two weeks. And another 30 points from Gryffindor." I intensify my glare but shut up, allowing him to continue the lesson.

My potion actually turned out quite well, it was the correct colour and everything. Yet Snape just turned his nose up at it. Another kick from Steph prevents me from gaining another weeks worth of detentions.

After class finishes, Steph and I walk together towards Herbology, meeting up with the Hufflepuffs on the way.

"Do you have a death wish?" Steph asks once we leave the dungeons.

"No! He's a prat." I indignantly reply.

"He is a teacher, and a mean one at that." Steph says, "you need to keep your temper here, especially with Voldey head."

"What did you do this time?" Megan asks from behind us.

"She lost us 50 points and got two weeks detention." Steph answers for me. I am currently pouting.

"What did you go do that for?" Hannah asks from behind.

"Snape." I answer shortly.

"He's not that hard to handle. Plus, he's nice." Megan answers, I can hear the tell tale drooling.

"He's a prat!" I answer, "and the only reason prat is the only word I'm using is cause there are a bunch of actual eleven year olds around us."

"Awww is poor bitty Emma not allowed to use her full vocabulary?" Hannah adds in, I turn to glare at her to find her grinning at me.

"No. And poor bitty Emma is getting extremely peeved off." I answer.

"Do you think Occlumency might help?" Megan asks quietly, I stop and look at her.

"How would that help? It just shields your mind from someone looking in..."

"I found a book on it last night. You have to declutter your mind. Apparently it helps people relax." She answers. My frown vanishes.

"That would be great! Then we can learn Legilamency and help Harry, instead of getting Snape to do it!"

"Not what I meant!" Megan groans.

"Can I borrow the book?" I ask just as we reach the greenhouses.

"Sure, I'll give you it after class."

Suddenly, despite detention, I'm looking forward to finishing the day.


	21. Chapter 21 - Confunding Snape

As soon as I finished my dinner, I had to head straight to the dungeons to figure out which door led to Snape's office.

At about five past seven, I found it and nervously knocked.

"Your late." His voice calls through the door, I open it and step in.

"Told you, we need maps." I answer as I close the door behind me.

"You will be cleaning the cauldrons in the store room." He informs me. I roll my eyes and head to the door opposite his desk, stepping through, I groan.

There are a LOT of cauldrons. With a sigh, I take a cloth and begin scraping. All the while, words way to foul for an eleven year olds mouth circle my thoughts.

After about half an hour of scrubbing, the swearing in my head rounds to just silent glaring. My arm is hurting. And I am only on my fifth cauldron.

Another half hour later, I begin to struggle to remember why I'm even here. Something about talking to a teacher...

"That'll do for now." The soft, silky tones of Snivellus rings through the room. With a sigh of relief, I drop my thirteenth cauldron and leave the back room. "I hope this will teach you not to back mouth a professor." He smirks. I bite my tongue, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Goodbye sir." I say stiffly turning to walk out the room. Then I get an idea.

"Four years, he will be back in four years." Then I close the door behind me, smirking as I run out the hall. Just as I leave the final corridor, Snape's door crashes open.

Laughing, I enter The common room. This is gonna be a fun set of detentions.

"Uh... You were just in detention with Snape, right?" Steph asks me, suddenly popping up to my left.

"Yup." I reply, grinning.

"Snape made you laugh." She asks skeptically.

"Nope."

"But you were just in detention."

"Yes, I know that."

"Detention with Proffesor Snape."

"Yes Steph, care to state any more obvious facts?"

"Therefore Snape made you laugh."

"Nope."

"Then why are you laughing?" Stephs tone suddenly turns frustrated as she rounds in front of me, light blue eyes glaring daggers into mine.

"Cause of what I did." I gulp.

"You didn't get yourself more detentions, did you?" She groans, we start to head up to our beds.

"No, I ran away before he got the chance."

"Well then what did you say?"

"Four years. He will be back in four years."

"That will make absolutely no sense to him, you know that, right?" Steph asks, opening the door to our room. It's empty.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna keep giving him hints." I answer.

"Why?"

"'Cause I feel like it." I answer honestly.

"You have a death wish, you know that?"

"Yup. And speaking of death wishes, we need to get ourselves some pranking stuff."

"What are you planning?" Stephs tone is weary.

"Not entirely sure yet. But we're starting tomorrow morning."

"How are we going to get supply's that quickly?"

"We're not, I got a book."

"And when did you find the time to get a book?"

"Magic," I answer grinning as I pull a book out from under my cloak.

"A prank book. Are you serious?"

"No, I'm Emma." Steph rolls her eyes but jumps on my bed next to me. We both lie down, feet kicking the air as we admire the book.

"So what's the first prank gonna be?" She asks.

"It's really simple for the first one, but we'll use the engorgment charm on all their clothes whilst they sleep. Just to show them we're getting started." I answer, feeling my cheeks heat up under my friends stare.

"That's the great prank?" She asks slowly, blinking blankly.

"I said it's really simple, didn't i?" I reply defensively. "You got anything better?"

Steph shakes her head, pouting, "point. Got anything else in there?"

I sigh, picking the book up by its spine and shaking it in the air, "nope. That's it until we get supplies. Or a better grasp of magic.

"How do we get supplies?"

"We send a letter to Gringotts."

"Well let's get started then!" With that, Steph jumps off the bed, grabs some writing equipment out of her bag and sits on the floor in front of me, pen poised to write.

"Hi..." I say slowly as she stares up at me expectantly.

"Well what do I write?" She starts tapping the quill on the paper.

"I don't know. Uh..."

By the time the two of us are happy with our letter, the sun has shied away in shame and the other three occupants of our room vanished to bed.

"Bed time." I yawn as I sign the letter after Steph has. Eyes barely open, Steph nods, her own yawn joining mine out in the open.

"Nigh'" she mumbles, slipping into her bed. I make a sort of grunting noise before slipping to sleep in my own bed.

Tomorrow, the fun will start.


	22. Chapter 22 - Prank Gone Wonky

At some time long before the arrival of the sun, my eyes awaken to the loud, obnoxious bleeping of my alarm clock.

In the bed next to mine, the only one within the Silencio cast last night, Steph groans, putting her pillow over her head.

"Turn it off," wordlessly, I reach over and flick the off button. Steph's head appears above the blankets, "why did we choose this early?"

"Cause boys never wake this early." I answer, slowly sitting up, rubbing my eyes as I look around for clothes.

"No one wakes this early." she complains, sitting up and glancing at the other beds in the room. I find a pair of socks and put them on.

"What time is it anyways?"

"Half four." I answer, putting a pair of trousers on and glancing at the clock. Steph just groans and begins to get dressed.

Standing outside the third year boy's dormitories, My sleepiness fades away, replaced with a deep excitement.

"Ready?" I ask.

"S'pose." Steph yawns.

I turn towards the door and pull it open, throwing when I only spot three beds. There's no way there are only three male Gryffindor third years, is there? I think, but I push past the thought, instead aiming for the bed to the far left, a ginger head lies sprawled out of the blankets, a foot hanging off the edge as the Weasely twin sleeps.

Bending down, I spot the suitcase lying open under the bed and point my wand, grinning as I whisper the spell.

"Engorgio."

All of a sudden, the room flashes red and a piercing shriek causes the three sleeping boys to jerk up, wands in hand.

The twin I was pranking has his wand centimeters from my nose, looking past the wood, I see the glare and mischievous smirk of the red head.

"Look what we have here Fred," the twin in the middle bed exclaims, he has Steph.

"Looks like wanna be pranksters to me George."

"Correct Fred."

"Now what do we do to them?" Fred asks, his eyes flicking from his twin to me.

"Let us go back to our beds with a firm warning?" I ask.

"Hmmm..." A new voice cuts in, Lee Jordan I'm guessing.

"We don't think so" the twins say together, "as we have a reputation see."

"And we don't want it ruined by some icicle firsties." Lee adds.

"I think we will declare-" George begins.

"A prank war." Fred grins,

"And to begin," lee adds,

"Viridi Capillos." Two voices say at once.

I feel a tingle in my scalp witch spreads until a stray piece of my hair floating over my shoulder shimmers.

Then it changes.

My usual muddy brown, frizzy hair is now a bright luminous green.

"Let it begin." Fred, George and Lee grin, waving their wands and sending us back.

"Oh it's on!" I shout as their bedroom door slams shut, leaving us stranded in the hall. I turn to Steph and burst out laughing.

Baby faces don't go with green hair. At all. And neither does the glare she's sending me. But my self-preservation instincts seem to be on holiday today and so, instead if stifling my laughter like a smart friend, I continued laughing.

Green Steph didn't like this.


	23. Chapter 23 - Prank War Begins

My hair won't turn back to normal.

Every strand, every fly away bit is a bright, non relenting, unhidable, neon green.

_I'm gonna kill the Weasley twins. _

"Emma, we have to go running." The pre-ginger on the couch next to me groans.

"Not like this!" I snap back, pulling at my hair.

"You going to let them win?" Steph smirks at me, her own neon hair tied in a bun atop her hair.

"Hell no!" I shout, getting up, tying my hair in a ponytail behind my head and grinning at her.

"C'mon then! Let's go show the twins who's boss."

Steph and I head out of the portrait hole, grinning.

At the entrance hall, we are joined by the Hufflepuffs who take one glance at the two of us and burst out laughing. My face heats up, and I guess the red goes brilliantly with the green. No clashing at all.

"The twins got the better of you, huh?" Gregor asks from behind, smirking as Adam, Rolls on the ground behind him.

"Oh you got owned!" Adam smirks at us.

"Told you it was a bad idea." Gregor adds, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Easy for you to say!" I pout, turning away from them all and heading outside. Laughter follows behind me as we head out.

Madame hooch stares blankly at Steph and I before shaking her head and gesturing towards the pitch.

"Well, get started."

Wordlessly, we all begin to run around the pitch, focused purely on getting through the torture.

Until, that is, I challenge Steph to a race about half way around. Both our egos already broken, we both readily oblige and quickly shoot ahead of Gregor, catching up to Adam, grinning as we go.

"See ya later!" I call to the small but speedy Adam as Steph and I charge past.

"Your on!" Adam yells back, and somehow puts on the speed needed to rush past Steph and I. We look at each other, and with a silent agreement, pull our wands out.

"Accio Adams left shoe!" I shout at the same time Steph shouts for his right shoe.

Adam trips, his shoes flying out from under him and, laughing, Steph and I jump over his scrambling form.

"Oh no you don't!" Adam yells, "Expulso!"

The ground in front of Steph and I explodes, sending chunks of grass and mud flying in all directions. We are thrown into the air, landing painfully as Adam roars past us, laughing.

"impedimenta," I call, watching as Adam falls, I get back up, hearing the others catching up, and run past Adam.

Or try to.

He grabs my ankle as I get past causing me to, yet again, trip. This time my elbow bruises.

"See ya's!" Steph shouts, running past. Adam and I stumble to our feet.

Too late.

Steph has already past the finishing line and is sitting on the ground next to Madame Hooch. Adam and I reach her at the same time, scowling.

"Cheat." I scowl at her, dropping onto the ground nursing my shoulder.

"I think the two of you started it." Adam smirks, standing in front of me. I look up, glaring at his smirk. The others arrive in a group.

"Are you three children!?" Megan scolds, arms folded breathing heavily.

"Yup." I answer brightly.

"I'm just going to leave you lot to it." Madame hooch says, turning and stomping away.

"Now... About this prank war..." I start, smiling sweetly.

"Nope. No. No way. No chance. No!" Megan chimes in immediately, backing away.

"Your not going to help us get revenge?" Steph pouts.

"Of course, this is going to be great!" Hannah decides, plonking onto the ground next to me.

"I gotta write a letter to zonkos then." I say. "Get an idea."

"We also need to have a look at spells." Steph adds.

"And fixing your hair," Gregor adds.

"So, first on our list of what to do should be?" I start, smirking around.

"Money?" Hannah asks.

"Breakfast!" Steph cheers, getting back up. I hold my hand up and she takes it, pulling me back to my feet.

"You know, if you want to have a prank war, were gonna have to prank the hole school."I say absentmindedly. Megan and Gregor, whom had been walking ahead, stopped in their tracks, turning wide eyes to us.

"You-"

"Have got-"

"To be kidding me!" They say in synchrony. Steph and I shake our heads at them.

"I swear you two are twins separated only by 5 months." I say.

"And parents." Steph adds.

"And them." I agree.

"So," Hannah starts, breaking off our glares, "school prank. What's planned."

She looks at me. Steph looks at me. Megan looks at me. Adam and Gregor look at me.

"Library." All four of them say together.

"What gave you that idea?" I ask. They reply in snickers.

After grabbing some breakfast each, we all head up to the library and begin research.

In one book, I find a spell which changes all food into bread. It was used in times of war so every one would be eating fairly. I write that one down. Along with _modifications needed. _

Megan finds a jinx which causes everything you say to be said backwards. It wares off only after 24 hours. I write that one down immediately.

Steph finds a spell which changes ones gender for a set amount of time. That one is also written down. I decide this one first.

Then the bell goes.

"Shoot! What do we have?" I ask, heading out the library with Steph.

"Charms." Steph answers from under her free floating mop of green.

Steph and I are wearing ours proudly, hanging over our shoulders in bright green waves, just to show the twins.

In charms, Ron does a double take at us, opens his mouth, shuts it, shakes his head then looks at us again.

"You didn't, did you?" He asks, Harry, behind him, looks at him blankly.

"Didn't what?" I ask innocently.

"Go against my brothers?"

"Yup." Steph and I answer, popping the 'p's simultaneously.

"You nuts. Completely off your rockers." He politely informs us as Flitwick comes into the room.

"Why thank you Ronald." I smile, barely containing my laughter as he walks up to the top seat, whispering to Harry on the way.

Hermione walks in then, looking at us wide eyed. I shake my head. I do not want a lecture from an eleven year old. Thankfully, she turns around, sitting on her own. I sigh in relief.

"Change sex first?" Steph whisper asks me as Flitwick begins to take the register.

"Of course!" I grin back, taking out the notes I took. "But we are gonna have to practice first. And somehow catch them unawares..."

"They have the map though, don't they? So that's going to be difficult."

"In the great hall at breakfast? Sit nearish them and cast the spell." I suggest, nodding an affirmative to Flitwick as my name is called.

"Risky to do it in public..." Steph frowns, taking her books out and sitting them between the two of us to share.

"But worth it if it works." I grin.

"How will we test it?"

"This weekend. Go to RoR and practice on each other."

"But what if we get stuck as guys!?" She whisper yells.

"It'll be funny?" I ask. She rolls her eyes, shaking her head at me.

"We won't have to worry about periods?" I continue.

I take our com-book out and write just three words before putting it away and paying attention to the teacher.

**'It is on.'**


	24. Chapter 24 - Going Against The Tide

During dinner that night, I suddenly remember what I had forgotten.

I still have detention with Snape.

"Can't I just skip it?" I moan to Steph once the realization had dawned in me. We both look up at the staff table to where the teacher in question is silently drinking from his goblet

"Bad idea." Steph warns me, "He's scary enough now. Never mind skipping."

"Practice the spell after?" I plead, gaze flicking to the top of the table where the Weasely twins are smirking at us.

"Sure. I'll go straight to ROR when I finish this. Will see if anyone else wants to." My gaze turns back to Steph and I grin at her, happy for something to go my way. "And about what you said last night-" my grin vanishes as my eyes widen, I can feel the blood draining from my face. "What are you going to tell him? He will obviously question you about it."

"Pretend it didn't happen?"

"What? Like a seer?" Steph asks, grinning at me. My face matches hers.

"Yeah, that's perfect! But what if he tries legilemens on me?"

"Megan has the book, she meant to pass it to you earlier. She told me." After nodding my thanks to Steph, I get up and walk over to Megan, ignoring the eyes on me as I traverse the tables in the middle of dinner. Taking a seat in between my two 'Puffs, I raise my eyes, "Want a picture?" I ask the hall at large, "they come at a price." Everyone turns from me. "What would happen if I wander over to the Slytherin table?" I ask Megan on my left.

"The Slytherins would probably slaughter you... Slowly and painfully." Hannah answers for Megan from her seat on my right.

"I'm gonna try. Just to see." I decide lightly before getting on with the main topic at hand.

"Megan," I stare, turning to the auburn haired girl brightly, "a little ginger haired ducky told me you have a book for me?"

"You want it now?" She asks. Raising an eyebrow as she fits a chip in her mouth, chewing slowly.

"Yes. I have detention with Snape next."

"Professor Snape, Emma." Hannah butts in with a smirk, I send her a quick glare.

"What does that have to do with the book?" Megan asks, swallowing her chip and spiking another on her fork.

"I kinda-sorta-mighta gave a hint to him last night that Voldemort is coming back." I say quietly. The reaction isn't so quiet.

"WHAT!?"

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

"ARE YOU NUTS!?"

"Uhhh guys?" I ask in a whisper.

"WHAT?" The both of the scream.

"Death room voices."

"Sorry," Hannah whispers, "what!?" She then whisper yells at me.

"How?" Megan asks from my other side.

"Three years. He will be coming back in three years." I answer truthfully.

"That's all you said?" Megan asks.

"Yup." I answer.

"I dread to see what you will be like in front of Voldemort." Hannah shakes her head sadly.

"I insult the smell of him and get given a detention." I answer with a straight face.

"Make way!" Steph's voice suddenly cuts through our conversation, squeezing between me and Megan with a large grin on her face.

"What did you do?" Megan, Hannah and I ask at once, eyeing the pre-ginger in trepidation.

"I spoke to the Weasely twins!" She gushes, leaning forward and speaking loudly, loud enough for the whole hall to hear, "I thanked them for the hairdo."

"...but you hate the green hair?" Hannah voices, frowning.

"She was informing the twins that it is on." I tell her, high giving my hair twin.

"I don't think I will ever be able to understand your logic." Hannah complains. I turn back to Megan, hand held out for the book witch she grudgingly hands over.

"Thanks." I grin, placing it in my bag and getting up, "anyone coming to say hi to the Slytherins with me?"

"And risk death? No thanks." Megan answers, I grin and walk towards the Slytherin table by myself.

The glares of the green clad students get fiercer as they see me heading towards their midst.

Whispering breaks out in the hall, even the teachers have stopped eating to stare at me.

"Hope you all get a good look, but I'm afraid I can only be one man's treasure." I smirk just as I reach behind Draco, sliding in next to him and Crabbe.

Utter and complete silence as the hall waits to see the Slytherins reaction.

"You have guts." One older Slytherin hisses, dark brown eyes narrowed, "stupid Gryffindor guts."

"I was sorted there for a reason you know." I state calmly, grabbing a buttered roll off of Crabbe's plate. He glares at me but grabs another from the plate in front.

I turn to Draco who is sitting stiff, upright, face set in his customary glare.

"Yes. Gryffindor, not Slytherin." The same guy tells me.

"Really? I never knew that. Thanks for clearing everything up," I remark.

A gasp fills the hall.

"But you are strangely cunning." Another, slightly younger, Slytherin puts in, eyes alight as she watches me along with the rest of the school.

"That illegal?"

"Not at all, just an odd trait for a Gryffindor." She adds.

"Putting people into categories like this school does isn't the best of ideas. This is what's causing the rivalry between our houses." I say, a sudden anger at the setting of Hogwarts encouraging me to speak louder.

"It's the evil bastards from Slytherin that make the rivalry," a shout from Gryffindor turns the stares from me to the lone dark haired boy at the top.

"This is what I'm talking about!" I exclaim, "a couple wizards from one house go bad, so everyone in that house is bad. It doesn't make sense! I am not going to exclude the chance of creating a cunning friend all because my prejudiced housemates have a thing against them." I forcefully say, getting up and turning to face my house. "I think I might just go enroll in Bauxbatouns if this is what Hogwarts is truly like." With that said, I turn and walk out the hall, knowing without looking that one Gryffindor, two Ravenclaw's and two Hufflepuff's are also following.

Collapsing down at the lake outside, I turn to see my friends and blink.

Instead of five people following me, there are about twenty.

"Ummm hi?" I say quietly, eyes wide and starting to get back up.

"You're the first person to ever say something like that out loud, you know that, right?" A fourth year Ravenclaw smiles, sitting on the ground next to me.

"How many years has this school been here? And no one has complained?" I ask skeptically.

"It's the way the founders created the school," Hermione starts, still standing, "its tradition."

"If you believe its tradition, why are you here?" I ask her, head tilted to the side.

"Because I don't agree with it."

"Fair point." I concede. Then I get an idea.

"How about we prove a point?" I ask, grinning.

"How?" A random Hufflepuff asks, looks to be either second or third year. I grin.

"Emma, if you say we go on strike..." Steph warns, glaring at me.

About half the group looks at us oddly.

"Strike?" Another Ravenclaw asks.

"No, I'm not suggesting that, I'm suggesting we make a sixth table in the great hall and sit there." I explain.

"You're a first year, where are you going to get the power to do that?" The first Ravenclaw asks.

"Well... One, there's about twenty of us here, two I know how to get to the kitchens, and three, I am surprisingly powerful."'

"How does the kitchens help?"

"Cocky aren't you?"

"What makes you think we will help?"

"I'm good with getting people to agree with me, and house elf's are included, no, I'm not cocky, Megan, I know my strengths, you are all here, aren't you? That means you want something to change."

"Say this works, and we get another table in the hall, how are we going to get the teachers to agree?"

"Dumbledore will love this idea. Snape will be mad, but who cares? McGonagall will be funny at first, but she'll come around. Flitwick won't care. Sprout will think it's a great idea. The others I don't really know." I answer, smirking as they start to nod.

"Now, I think it's time Snape and I go for our annual meeting." I finish, getting up. Many of the older students look confused, so rolling my eyes, I oblige.

"I told him off for being a crap teacher."

"You did what!?" The Hufflepuff asks, stepping back, blue eyes wide, the Ravenclaw's eye me curiously, the rest of the Hufflepuff's look wary.

"Do you have a death wish?" A Gryffindor asks, looking awed.

"Nope." I answer.

"That's Emma for you," Adam grins, "doesn't give a damn about the rules."

"Obviously, she sat down at the SLYTHERIN table!" The Gryffindor answers back, "no respect for the way things have been run for hundreds of years."

"There's always time for change." I shrug, "and the wizarding world needs a major one. Now I've really gotta go see Snape."

With several awed goodbyes, I turn and walk back into the castle, heading down to the dungeons.

At the door, I take a deep breathe, Snape's gonna want to talk to me. And i have no idea about Occlumency at all. Closing my eyes, I picture a large wall surrounding my thoughts, barbed wire atop the wall.

Holding the image strongly, I knock.

"Enter."

One word. Two syllables. And my heart starts racing.

With a gulp, I walk in, and look at the talk, slim spy, standing a meter in front of me, arms behind his back, and dark, hollow eyes boring into my own.

_The wall, Emma. Concentrate on the wall_! I scream at myself.

"Professor." I say coolly.

"Miss Nelson." He answers, lips thinning, "I want a word. Sit." He turns, cloak swishing and walks back to his desk, guttering to the seat in front of it.

I slowly walk towards the seat and sit down, turning to look into the room I went in yesterday.

"No cauldrons?" I ask, looking back at him but refusing eye contact.

"Clearly." He reply's shortly. "I want some answers."

"I want doesn't get." I say without thinking. His eyes widen fractionally. Then narrow into slits.

"When you're the teacher, you get everything you want." He snarls.

"So my life goal is supposed to be to become a teacher then?" I ask.

"Don't push it." I close my mouth.

"Who will be back?" He asks.

"Huh?"

"Do not play games with me Miss Nelson." He warns.

"I'm not!" I implore, widening my eyes but still not catching his, staring at his forehead, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"If you won't do it the easy way," I picks up a clear vial from his desk, "we will do it the hard way. Do you have any idea what this is, Miss Nelson?"

"Veritaserum?" I raise an eyebrow, looking at the clear liquid.

"Correct. Do you know what it does?"

"In any other class I would have gotten points for that, first years aren't supposed to know what veritaserum is." I reply cheekily.

"I repeat, do you know what it does?" I roll my eyes.

"It forces the drinker to tell the truth. But it's flawed." I answer. He pauses, and I know I caught him off guard.

"And how so?" He asks.

"Because it forces the teller to tell the truth. But the teller could theoretically convince themselves that the lie is the truth and so by telling the lie they believe they are telling the truth and so does the potion and so the person can get away with telling the lie."

Snape looks at me, stunned.

"Does that deserve at least one house point sir?" I ask, smirking.


	25. Chapter 25 - Taming The Beast

"Does that deserve at least one house point sir?" I smirk.

Professor Severus Snape does not answer. He looks at me, wordlessly.

"Sir?"

We stare at each other, blue eyes against fathomless black.

_Oh my hippogriff! Did I break Snape!?_

"I still want my answer." He snarls eventually, taking a quill and parchment out.

"Huh? What answer?"

"Who is coming back?"

"So no house points then?" I sigh sadly, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you sir."

"Try me."

"Voldemort."

"The Dark lord is dead."

"You know sir, if you don't follow him, why do you call him that?"

"Stick to the point." He says, this time with a little less venom. "How do you know he's coming back?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

"And why not?"

"Because..." I say with a smirk.

"Miss Nelson if you do not answer me right now..."

"You will break the law and force veritaserum down my throat?" I ask pleasantly.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"That's not fair!"

"Another ten. Now answer the question."

I narrow my eyes, glaring at the man. I used to, when watching the movies and reading the books, pity. But now hatred is seething through me. He's just a selfish jerk who doesn't know how to teach to save his life.

"Compromise?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow, still glaring at him.

Mr. Selfish says nothing.

"Question for a question?" Barely visibly, he nods. I grin in triumph.

"I'm from the future." I answer, he raises an eyebrow, looking much more awesome than me when I'm doing it. "Told you you wouldn't believe me. Now my turn. Do you teach Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's differently than us?"

"They tend to be more competent at potion making." Mr. semi-agreeable answers. "Prove you're from the future."

"How?"

"Let me in."

"What!? You pervert!" I screech, backing away from him.

Snape looks completely confused for a second until realization dawns and his sickly white pallor turns a deep shade of crimson.

"Do you know of Occlumency?" He asks.

"Yes. And you're awful at teaching it."

"Let me in your mind to see your telling the truth."

"Um wasn't my reaction proof enough? What eleven year old would have turned 'let me in' into a sick pervert reaction?"

"Depends on how you were brought up." He answers, I feel my mouth slacken. He seriously believes an eleven year old could react like that? In the nineteen hundreds?

"On a condition." I answer. "You teach us the same you do the other two houses."

"Legilemens!"

All of a sudden, _I am in my foster carer's home, playing catch with my sister. _

_I'm in a waiting room as my biological mum steps out, she smiles widely and runs towards me._  
_*I'm chasing my friends around the playground, laughing. _

_Sitting in the heads office, told I have the chicken pox. _

_I'm crying in the car home, my biological dad just been sentenced to jail. _

_I'm sitting in my bunk bed, reading a book to my sister and the other foster kids. _

_I'm in another car, driving away from my mother for the last time. Looking back to see her trying not to cry, face scrunched up in pain._

_Sitting in the living room, nervously awaiting the first time I get to see my new parents. _

_I'm arriving at my new parent's house, playing with the dogs. _

_My sister and I are sitting in a car, driving away from our foster home, ready to move in with our new parents. _

_It's my sisters 5th birthday, I get a little book as they just missed my seventh birthday. _

_First day at our new school, I can hear my sister crying in the other classroom. _

_I'm excited as we sit in the car, getting the day off school, the adoption is officially going through. _

_Mum just finished getting a tattoo, Winnie the Pooh and friends with Emma and Lisa written over the top in cursive Writing, 04/04/2004 in a line at the characters' feet. Finally I'm loved, a family who loves me. _

_Meeting two kids down the road from us, Hannah and her little sister. _

_I'm auditioning for a play, it's primary seven. I get the part. _

_First time visiting high school, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of people._

_First day of high school, not leaving my friends side. _

_My friend hanging with others, leaving me behind._  
_*_  
_Learning my dog is seriously ill_  
_*_  
_Being told my dog is being put down_  
_*_  
_Sitting in music listening to a song, Death Dances, crying in the dark because Sabre was just put down. _

_Drawing into myself, becoming lonely, retreating to the library. _

_Reading nonstop, always seen with a book. _  
_*_  
_Arriving home and told to sit down, told out other dog, Tyson died during the day. _  
_*_  
_On a school walk, at the back,_  
_book in hand, another girl in my year, short, a bit on the tubby sidewalks next to me, I put the book aside. _

_Sitting laughing with my new friend, Megan. _

_Inviting Megan over to a sleepover for the first time. _

_Meeting Megan's other friend, another Megan. _

_Starting third year of High School, 2011. _

_Megan Walker brings a new girl, distinctly Ginger with her to our corner, I smile at her._

_Inviting my three friends to my birthday party. _  
_*_  
_Getting two new dogs, Samson and Tj_  
_*_  
_Kissing Adam for the first time, going out on a date. _

_Mutually splitting up with Adam via text. _

_Getting back together a year later, now sixth year. _

_I'm celebrating the New Year in a hotel, babysitting, writing on Facebook, and welcome_ _to 2014 everyone! _

_I'm sitting in school, Writing down all our names along with 'Harry potter marathon participants'_

_I wake up on the train. _  
_*_

Next I'm back in Snape's office, a headache starting to form. Snape looks stunned, eyeing me with a slight glare.

"That, sir, was mind rape. I don't think I'll be attending another of your detentions." I turn and storm out the room.


	26. Chapter 26 - Escape

Once out of the classroom, I lean back on the wall, I hadn't thought of my biological family for a long time, the pain on my mothers face when we were being driven away features on the back of my eyelids. Agony races through my heart as a deep aching longing for her arms around me rages through my system.

_God, I miss her. _

With a deep breathe, I wipe a tear from my cheek and sigh. I want my sister

I snort.

Eighteen years old and missing my little sister, how pathetic!

I instead glare at the dungeon door to Snape's office before turning and walking away, wandering the halls aimlessly as I think about the new predicament I find myself in.

What are they thinking back home? To wake up and find me gone. _Well at least I don't have to worry about my exam results,_ I grin to myself. And whose right is it to put Harry through what's going to happen to him? He's a kid and has a right to be one. Why should he be faced by voldepants? And why should we listen to 'd'? We don't know who he is, he just drags us away and expects us to do as he says...

My hand freezes, about to open a door but a low growl is heard from within.

Oh come on! I just happen to arrive on the third floor corridor?

"Stupid Fluffy, Stupid Snape, stupid Dumbledore, stupid Hagrid." I scowl and turn, face to face with Peeves.

"Look it's an ickle firstie!" He grins, flicking the right way up and eyeing me. I roll my eyes.

"Yes, peeves, well spotted."

"This corridor is forbidden." He tells me, floating backwards, I follow.

"Right, can you tell me where to go from here then?" I ask, fingers crossed.

"FIRST YEAR IN THE FORBIDDEN CORRIDOR!" He screeches, whizzing away. I curse, a set of words that really shouldn't have came out of an eleven year old mouth.

"I don't like you." I politely inform the empty corridor before rushing the other way.

Panting, I eventually make it to the common room and step inside, Hermione and Steph are the only ones awake.

"What took you so long?" Steph asks as I sit down beside her, struggling for air.

"And why have you been running?" Hermione asks.

"Got-lost-Peeves-corridor." I wheeze out. The two stare at me blankly.

"Peeves." I say, hoping that will answer enough for them. Thankfully, looks of understanding pass over them.

With that matter clearly settled, I close my eyes and lean back, allowing my heart to return to its normal pace, attempting to stop the pounding in my skull.

"What'd Snape make you do?" Steph asks once my breathing has returned to normal.

"Talk." I grit out between my teeth.

"Talk? Just talk?" She replies skeptically.

I open my mouth, then shut it and swallow. _Not when Hermione is here. _I think, _she's too young and still has too high a regard for teachers. _

"Yeah." I answer, flicking my eyes towards Hermione.

"That's not exactly what I would call a detention." Hermione states, oblivious to Steph and I's facial conversation.

"At least my hands are usable though," I smirk. Then it fades. '_I won't be coming back to anymore of your detentions,'_ he's gonna have something to say about that.


	27. Chapter 27 - Secrets Out

Eventually, Hermione decided to go up to bed, leaving me with Steph.

"What really happened?" She asks me, I can sense the concern rolling off her in waves.

"Nothing I can't handle." I sigh. Closing my eyes and trying to ignore the image of my biological mum.

"Emma. You can tell me. A problem shared is a problem halved!" I roll my eyes, fighting a grin.

"He legilamenced me." I say quietly.

"And what did he see?"

"He wanted proof that we were from the future-"

"Wait- what!? How did he figure that out?" She interrupts.

"Imightakindasortatoldhim." I blurt out.

"Why did you tell Snape!?" She screeches back.

"He was pressurizing me!" I pout.

"Your eighteen years old!"

"No I'm not." I say petulantly.

"Yes you are-"

"No-"

"Emma!" She warns, turning narrowed blue eyes on me.

"Okay! I'm eighteen! But he's in his thirties! And a Pre-Death Eater. And scary!" I complain, waving my hands frantically in the air.

"Emma-" Steph starts slowly, I roll my eyes.

"What? You try facing up to him in an eleven year old body!"

"No, not that." She says, looking behind me.

I gulp.

And turn.

Hermione Jean Granger is standing in the doorway, mouth slightly agape.

"Umm hi Hermione." I say with a weak smile. "How much did you just hear?"

"I read about time travel. It is strictly forbidden. I should go and tell Professor McGonagall." She spouts out.

"We umm..." I try, but no words come out. _Turned speechless by an eleven year old- _an actual_ \- eleven year old. I best resign, now. _

_"_It was just a joke?" Steph tries, not sounding especially convincing, even to me.

"Are- are you Death Eaters? Come back to get Harry because he killed You-Know-Who?" She asks, stepping back, almost tripping over the first step to the girl's dorm.

I burst out laughing, causing Hermione to take another step back, forgetting the step and falling in her butt.

Steph joins in laughing.

Hermione glares at us.

"No! Hermione!" Steph gasps out once she has regained control. "We literally just woke up on Hogwarts Express."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Dumbledore believed it." I shrug.

"Prove it." Hermione says, trying to be dignified as she stands back up.

"How?" I ask, looking away from her so as not to burst out laughing again.

"Can't you just believe us and take it in your stride?" Steph whines.

Hermione considers.

"Are you all actually cousins?" She asks, slowly stepping towards us.

"Na. Were all best friends." I answer honestly.

"And you all woke up on the train here?"

"Yup."

"Yes." Steph and I say together.

"I - I need time to think about this." She says, snatching her book from the table and turning to go back upstairs.

"Hermione?" I say quietly, she stop, but doesn't turn. "We really are here to help. We know what's supposed to happen. I promise we are going to make it better."

The back of her head nods once then she vanishes.

"Well shit!" I exclaim, turning back to Steph. "This probably isn't good."

"You think?" She asks. Then gets up. "We should go to bed. Early rise tomorrow. And you have some House Elves to speak to.

_Huh? _Then I remember my ultimate plan to get the houses together. I groan. _Why do I always get myself into these messes? And it's only Thursday night! _Slapping myself on my head, I head upstairs with my head hung low.

Attempting to start a prank war, trying to unite houses and having Snape as my new No 1 nemesis. _Great first week Emma. Well done. Now try and not screw up Friday please. _

I close my eyes, snuggling down in an attempt to fall asleep.

Just at the cusp, I jerk back up, flinging my covers away from me.

"What!" Steph hisses, lifting her head up from her bed next to me.

"We have double Poitions tomorrow." I inform her.

"Yes, I know that."

"After what just happened with Snape-" I add slowly.

"Shit."

Steph summarized it very nicely as I get up and pace. _I don't think I'm gonna get much sleep tonight._


	28. Chapter 28 - Becoming a Blackmailer

"So what did the House elf's say?" Megan asks as I walk out from the kitchen.

"We need to ask the Headmaster, they can't do that without the 'Headmaster Sirs' permission." I sigh.

"Okay. Let's go to breakfast." She says with a shrug.

I gulp. Snape will be at breakfast. And probably not happy.

"Can't we skip breakfast today?" I ask with a whine. We both stop and look at the hallway ahead as we hear footsteps running towards us.

"Emma!" It's Steph. She comes careening around the corner, gasping. "Headmaster wants to see you."

"So I can skip breakfast?" I ask with a grin.

"Now." Steph answers.

"Whoopee!" I shout, jumping with my hands in the air.

"And Snape's with him."

"No!" I shout dramatically, lowering my hands slowly, "I want my breakfast now," I pout.

"What on earth did you do this time?" Megan asks. I just shake my head. She turns to Steph.

"Don't know. She didn't tell me. Oh! That reminds me! Hermione knows!"

"Wha-?" Finlay asks, looking more confused.

"Hermione _knows_." She continues.

"How?" Megan asks, her voice deliberately calm.

"Emma and I were talking in the Common Room and she came up behind us." Steph answers. I quicken my steps slightly to get ahead of them as we exit the hall to the kitchens, the din of the Great Hall beginning to become apparent.

"How much does she know?" Megan asks, I wince at the slight shake in her tone.

"Just that we're from the future and here to fix things." I answer, smirking at Steph as the stairs appear around the bend, 'good luck.' I mouth as I dart forward and rush up the stairs.

Once I eventually find myself up at the headmasters office, I pause, taking a deep breathe before knocking on the door. Silence ensues before the old man's voice tells me to come in. I do so, albeit reluctantly.

Snape and Dumbledore are sitting at opposite ends of Dumbledore's desk, looking at me.

"Sir." I nod to Dumbledore, taking a seat and blanking Snape.

"Emma, Professor Snape tells me you are causing trouble and lying to a member of staff."

"Lying? In what way?" I ask, eyes trained on the bottom of the old wizard's spectacles, careful about eye contact.

"You are spreading false rumors-" Snape starts, but I blank his voice, intent on Dumbledore. "-ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?" Snape's voice has risen in pitch.

"Emma?" Dumbledore asks politely.

"Yes, sir?"

"You are beginning to act like a child." He states calmly, I narrow my eyes. N_o one calls me a child. I am an established woman, thank you very much._

"I would like to say that I have not spread any rumors, which are not my style. He legitimized me last night without permission, I class that as a form of rape, sir." I say, straightening my back, "And will, if pushed, go straight to the ministry about this as I'm sure they would not like former death eaters reading children's minds..." I trail off, smirking as both men's faces pale. "Was that included in Proffesor Snape's rant, Headmaster?" Neither man answers me.

"Is that all?" I ask.

"Severus, we will continue this discussion later," Dumbledore says slowly.

"But Headmaster-"

"Later, Severus."

Snape gets up and walks towards the door, I turn to see him giving me a venomous look before opening the door and walking out.

"You need to be more careful, Emma, and threatening Professor Snape is not keeping a low profile."

"I'm sorry, but as long as he is acting like selfish, spoilt brat, I won't change. Just because he loved Lily does not excuse his behavior."

"There are things you don't under-"

"Don't start me on that Dumbledore," I snap, voice growing cold, "I know a lot more than you do right now, including the fact that you are using Harry as a pawn in your war, I know how Voldemort survived, I know how to kill him, I know I can get rid of Snape with a snap of my fingers and I can also get rid of you, so don't you dare even think about telling me I don't understand."

Leaving Dumbledore speechless, I get up and walk out of the office, wishing for nothing else but to be back home, away from here, to be in my older body, not to be being looked down on.

And what happened with Sirius? Surely it doesn't take this long to sort out a trial? _I'll give them till Monday,_ I decide, skipping the Great Hall and heading down to the dungeons for the third time this week.


	29. Chapter 29 - Dealing with Slytherins

I stand outside the door to potions for around five minutes before the Slytherins begin arriving, Draco Ponce Malfoy in front.

"Draco." I nod. He freezes as the rest of the Slytherins and I watch him.

"Nelson." He nods back eventually.

"How does a mutually benefiting deal sound to you?" I question, moving my weight from the wall to my feet as I turn to face him.

"What kind of deal?" He asks, grey eyes narrowing as he considers me.

"I want to create an all house table, to promote House Unity, but I need some Slytherins for it to work."

"And?" Clenching my fists as a less visible sign of frustration, I take a deep breathe in order to continue calmly.

"And I would like you to be a representation of Slytherin." I finish. Behind him, Hermione rounds the corner, books cuddled in front of her chest, eyes down. She stops when she notices me confronting the Slytherins, she switches to a more calculated look, listening in.

"How would I benefit?"

"You will be one of the starters of a new tradition."

"By sitting with Mudbloods?" He sneers, Crabbe and Goyle smirk at his sides, and I resolutely keep my eyes on his grey.

"By showing you are willing to change the Malfoy name."

"I don't need to change the Malfoy name." He snaps, turning a glare on me.

"Oh so you enjoy being mistrusted? Having everyone scared into following you?"

I hear a creak behind me but ignore it, content on talking Malfoy over.

"Yes, it is the right of a Malfoy."

"What about being written in History books?" In the corner of my eye, I notice another, larger sea of red come around the corner, Hermione's shape quickly moves to shush them, and Steph quickly helps her. "Being written down forever to be studied by new generations as the Malfoy who was good?"

Draco's expression doesn't change, I have to admire the ability he has at eleven years old, but keep my own steadily calm, approachable.

"What would my end of the deal require?" He asks, still carefully blank. I notice Theodore Nott looking interested.

"Just sit with us when the new table appears, get as many Slytherins with you, and no calling Muggleborn's Mudbloods. You won't be required to talk to them, I can keep them the opposite side of the table if that would make it easier."

"And in return?" I blink, confused. "What would I receive?" He asks, behind him, Theodore steps forward, and whispers in his ear. Draco nods slowly, never taking his gaze from mine.

"What would you consider?" I ask, frowning slightly at Theodore.

"If I ask a request of you, you shall comply." Draco says, Theodore nods next to him.

"And what would these requests entail?" I ask, eyes narrowed.

"It would depend on the situation." Draco tells me.

"So you will sit at the new table, not call Muggleborn's Mudbloods and convince other Slytherins to come over if I agree to come to your beck and call?" I summarize.

"Emma-" Steph starts from behind the Slytherins, I shake my head minutely, and an interruption at this point would not help.

"Those are my terms." Draco informs me.

"And if your request is outside my limits?" I ask. Theodore whispers to Draco again, Draco turns to him.

"You become target practice." Draco smirks. I blink.

"What!"

"You heard me. Either you do as I ask you, or you become target practice."

"And why would I agree to that?" I ask.

"You want me sitting with mu-Muggleborn's, you accept. No compromises." My eyes close, breaking our contact as I think it over.

Having him sit, and hopefully learning Muggleborn's aren't as bad as. He's been brought up to believe, could help keep him from Voldemort, we could offer protection. But at what price?

Draco Malfoy is a Slytherin. There must be something else he wants, something which is not good for me. And being target practice for him? That I do not look forward to.

Then again, he never mentioned I couldn't fight back. I'm older than him, smarter. I can defend myself.

And he's eleven! He can't ask for too much.

"Agreed." I say, he holds his arm out and I take it, we shake once.

"Are we finished?"

I Leap into the air and turn at Snape's sudden Appearance behind me, he doesn't seem mad, more contemplative.

"In." He tells us, silently we file in, and I take my seat next to Steph who glares at me. I shrug and turn my attention to finding my book in among the mess in my bag.

"Turn your books to page thirty five and read it over, I will be quizzing you in five minutes."

I snap my head up to look at him, he turns from me and sits at his desk.

_It worked! He's teaching us different! I have actually made a difference! _

Taking my book out, I turn to the page, a _Wide Eye_ Potion.

After five minutes, Snape stood up and walked to the front of his desk.

"Mr. Nott, name two ingredients needed in this potion."

"Wolfsbane and Snake fang, sir," he answers immediately.

"Correct. Five points to Slytherin."

"Miss Patil," Parvati squeaks but looks towards him, from my position two rows behind, I can see her crossing her fingers behind her back.

"What is the _Wide Eye_ potion commonly used as an antidote for?"

"The Draught of Living Death?"

"Are you asking the question, or am I, Miss Patil?" He asks, the class holds their breaths as Parvati stays silent, her other hand joins her first behind her back.

"Well, what is the answer?"

"The Draught of Living Death, sir." She says quietly. Snape nods.

"Correct. Two points to Gryffindor."

"Miss Nelson!" I jump slightly but stare him in the eye defiantly.

"How long would you be leaving your potion standing after step one?"

"One day, sir." I answer.

"Correct."

"Mr. Malfoy,"

"Sir." Draco nods stiffly.

"What is the final ingredient added to the potion?"

"Wolfsbane sir." Malfoy answers after a quick glance down.

"Correct. Mr. Longbottom, why won't we be brewing this potion today?"

"I d-don't know sir!" Neville squeaks.

"Did you, or did you not just read the text?"

"Yes, sir," Neville answers, Snape begins to walk towards him, Neville stumbles back.

"And were you listening to your classmate's answers?"

"Y-yes sir,"

"Then answer the question Mr. Longbottom. Why will we not be brewing the potion today?" Snape stops right in front of Neville's desk.

"B-because um- we won't be able to finish it?"

"Correct. Miss granger, why won't we be able to finish this potion?"

"We are not in class tomorrow to complete the next step in the potion, sir." Hermione answers happily.

"Correct."

The first half of the lesson continued much like this, with Snape picking random students to answer questions on the potion. By the time second period began, he had us writing an essay on the usefulness of all the ingredients in the potion, to be handed in at the end of the lesson.

_I did good._


	30. Chapter 30 - Minnie? Minnie!

"Miss Nelson, I expect you back here 7 tonight." I groan as I leave the classroom, Steph smirks beside me.

"Transfig next, right?" I ask, taking my mind back from Snape.

"Oui."

"Great. Have I done any spells yet?"

"How would I know?" She asks as we round a corner, being met by the warmth of the entrance hall, Hermione up front, leads us up the staircases.

"Because your my sub-consciousness?" I ask.

"Is that even a word?"

"Hermione?" I call, she grunts, which I take as a go ahead.

"Is sub-consciousness a word?" I ask, Steph laughs.

"In psychology, the subconscious is the part of consciousness that is not currently in focal awareness." She replies, I gape.

"What, did you swallow a dictionary?" Ron asks from behind me, my gaping turns into laughing.

"No, unlike you I actually take time to read!" She snaps back, Ron huffs, Harry stays silent.

"That didn't actually answer my question though..." I whine.

"It is a blend of the two words, that way it is a proper word." Steph informs me. I shrug, good enough.

"How far left?" Harry calls out, Hermione looks back.

"It speaks!" I call out, Steph and Ron laugh, Hermione looks at me with a frown. "I'm not being mean, Harry, I'm just surprised." I defend myself lamely.

"Two more flights," Hermione tells us.

"Can we bring a broom in here?" I ask, "It would beat the stupid stairs."

"Seamus? Dean? Parvati? Lavender?" Steph asks, various affirmations sound from behind, I turn to walk backwards up the stairs, facing Harry, Ron, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus and Dean. "You lot are very quiet." She finishes. Dean and Seamus look at each other and shrug.

"We're comfortable with each other." Lavender tells us, I shrug and trip.

Wincing as pain shoots through my bottom, I glare at my classmates, every single one of them laughing at me. "What? Never seen someone butt plant the floor before?"

"Not deliberately, no." Steph grins.

"Are you ok?" Hermione asks, finished with her laughing fit.

"You should be asking the floor that, not me." I pout, getting up and looking around me, a long corridor faces directly towards the stairs we just climbed, another set of steps are to the right, with a large, blank wall to the left.

"Up?" I ask beginning to turn.

"It you want the extra flight, then sure." Steph shrugs, heading down the corridor. "Two flights she said, if you wanna climb three, go ahead. I'm not stopping you."

"Oh shut it, you." I snarl as the rest of us follow Steph to a classroom half way down.

"Come in." The crisp, Scottish tone of our next teacher calls, we all pause, looking at each other. With a sigh, I push in front of Steph to head in, taking the same seat as our last class.

"From last class, we learned to turn matches into needles, and I certainly hope you were paying attention." McGonagall glares around the class. "Today we will be doing the opposite, turning our needles back into matches."

She demonstrates the spell to us, and gets us to copy the wand movement and pronunciation before handing the needles back out - via floaty magicness- and tells us to get started.

I turn back to Steph, watching the concentration as she waves her wand in the flick movement, her match does nothing. I turn to my own, pick up my wand and point towards the match.

Taking it slow and concentrating, I feel a tingle of power running through my chest and down my arm, forming in my palm around the wand, ready to do as asked.

"Puraca" I tell the wand, the tingle latches and swells out of my hand, the top of my wand sparks, but nothing happens.

I turn to see Hermione's was already a brown colour, still metallic and needle-like, but at least it had changed.

I move my wand and yet again feel the tingle of magic, but again it doesn't do as I ask it to. My concentrated frown wavers as irritation rises.

I can feel the magic ready for me to tell it what to do, so why won't it? Beside me, Steph cries out in triumph, her silvery needle is now a silver, very long match.

"How?" I ask, she shrugs at me, eyes glinting in triumph.

"I'm not sure, I pictured what I wanted, and this happened."

"Ok," I turn back to mine, get a firm picture of a little match in my head and wave my wand, letting the magic form before pronouncing the word again.

All I get is bigger sparks.

I cry out as well, but in frustration.

"I don't get it! I can levitate things easy! I cast a patronus, I can do point me and Lumos, why can't I do this!?"

"What's a patronus?" Hermione asks immediately, turning from her match.

"A spell that landed me in the hospital wing again." I answer her shortly.

Wait a minute.

_She knows. _

How on _earth_ did I **forget **she knows!?

I shake my head, making a mental note to take her to the RoR for explanations soon.

"Minnie?" I call out without thinking, but once my brain catches up, heat fills my face as the Professor in question meets me with a very hard glare. "Miss McGonagall?" I try again.

"Yes?" She asks, very shortly.

"I've got a question," I tell her. She looks at me and blinks. I turn redder.

"After class," I mutter, turning back to my needle, resolute in a staring contest for the rest of class, the needle wins, quite quickly.

Once the bell goes and the rest of the class has left, I walk up to McGonagall's desk.

"Miss Nelson?" She asks, looking up from the parchment she was looking over.

"How come I've managed spells without thinking inside class and then in here, when I felt my magic, it didn't work?"

"People's magic are better at certain subject, perhaps your magic isn't as strongly inclined to Transfiguration as other subjects." She tells me.

"Does that mean I can't be an animagus?" I ask in disappointment.

"You could, it would take a lot more work is all." She answers. I relax slightly.

"Now could you please tell me why your hair is that abominably bright colour?"

"What? You don't like it?" I ask, in mock hurt. She raises an eyebrow. "I made a mistake with the Weasely twins." I tell her.

McGonagall shakes her head and dismisses me, laughing, I walk out the class to meet up with Steph and Hermione, heading to our next class.


	31. Chapter 31 - Hermione Learns Things

"History, seriously?" I groan, standing in the doorway Steph pushing me from behind.

"Yes, my favorite subject, remember?" Lavender pipes up from her seat in the middle of the class, I grin at her and happily walk in, and taking my seat with Steph at the back as Hermione goes to sit in the front, taking her quill and parchment out. I take my com book out.  
**'Guess what?' **I write, next to my Steph rummages in her own bag, pulling out her book and opening up.

_'What?' _She asks, I pout a bit as no one else answers but concede anyways.

**'Minnie likes our hair!' **I tell her, she snorts as both our books gain a new font.

_'Minnie?' _

**'Yes Adam,'** I reply, **'if you had read the books you would know who Minnie is.' **

_'McGonagall,' _Gregor informs him.

_'Where are you two?' _Steph puts in.

_'Potions with the 'Puffs,' _Adam tells us.

_'We were actually taught in potions lesson!' _Steph informs them, _'looks like Emma did something useful.' _

**'Oh hardy har,'** I write back, the mind rape still being a sore point.

_'Are you going tonight?' _Steph asks.

_'Huh?' _Gregor puts in, _'going where?' _

**'Snake told me I had another detention tonight.' **

_'Oh. Well you have to go.' _He informs me, I raise an eyebrow at my book.

**'Oh I **_**have**_** to do I?' **I ask him. No reply for about a minute appears, Steph growing gigglier the longer he takes.

_'Yes, to get info out of him.'_ He finally deems to reply.

**'What info? We know all we need to about him.' **

_'Rowling didn't know everything, say the fire in Dumbledore's office.' _Gregor informs me, I nod, giving him that.

**'Ok. Say I go, who's gonna start telling Hermione everything?' **

_'What!? Tell her everything of what?' _Gregor immediately buts in.

_'Emma...'_ Adams tone is a lot more warning.

**'Did Megan and Steph not tell you?' **I ask, smirking at Steph.

_'I've been preoccupied what with my new hairstyle.' _Steph puts in.

_'Emma...'_ Adam repeats.

**'Hermione might or might not have overheard Steph and I talking.' **I wrote in a scribble. Unfortunately, they can read it fine, I shut my book with a snap, not in the mood to be lectured by them.

Peeling over to Steph's book, I can see the two writing in full caps lock, going over the page.

"Just let them rant it out." I tell Steph who nods, leaving her book open.

I instead allow Binns boring voice to wash over me, falling into a sleep like trance.

The obnoxious bell brought me back to reality, luckily just before Steph deemed it time to punch me awake. Instead of her fist landing on my arm, it lands on the table where said arm just vanished. I silently thank the bell as I laugh at Steph's plight all the way up to the dorms where we start on a bit of Homework. Hermione warily sits next to us.

"I think we need to have a talk. A proper talk." She informs Steph and I, I look towards her, glad for an excuse to leave the History note taking to later.

"Agreed, we'll go to the RoR, that way the others can come too."

"The RoR?" Hermione questions, I smile.

"The room of requirement. My favorite room in the castle." I answer.

"But it doesn't do food," Steph puts in, looking downhearted.

"But it provides a way to get food." I smirk back.

"Are we going to get to go anytime soon?" Steph asks as Hermione looks between us, looking lost.

"Let me tell the others, then we'll head." I decide, taking my com book out to write the message. That done, I put it back in my bag and take my bag up to my dorm, the other girls following behind.

"Let's go, then." Steph says as we leave our dorm room and head out the common room, turning left and heading up the stairs, three flights to go.

As we arrive, Gregor and Adam appear behind us.

"What's this about?" Gregor asks, not having seen Hermione who's standing behind Steph and I.

"Informing Hermione about stuff." I tell them, stepping to the side.

"And why is Hermione in the know-how?" Gregor asks, "Mr. D specifically fold us not to tell anyone."

"Why should we listen to him?" I snap back, "He just dragged us from our homes, with little chance of seeing our families again, and expects us to do as he tells us."

"He gave us the opportunity," Megan's voice bugs in from behind, I turn to see her and Hannah, slightly red in the face, panting behind us, "to be at Hogwarts, with powers to boot."

"Let's not get into the argument now," I decide, turning towards the blank stretch of wall and beginning to get our room back up.

Five minutes later, we are all sitting around our half-moon bench, facing in to talk. Hermione looks anxious.

"Well." I say into the silence.

"Well." Steph copy's, we grin at each other, then turn to the only eleven year old in the room.

"What do you want to know?" Steph asks her, she looks around us, eyes wide.

"How old are you, really?"

"Eighteen." I answer.

"Seventeen." Megan informs her.

"Fifteen." Hannah smiles.

"Seventeen." Steph supplies.

"Seventeen." Adam says, looking around the room, face blank.

"Sixteen." Gregor answers, glaring at Steph and I.

"How do you know what's going to happen?"

"I think I covered that part, Hermione, we're from the future. You generally have more knowledge." I say with an eye roll, Hermione looks sheepish, cheeks burning.

"Are you related to anyone?"

"How do you mean?" Megan asks, my shoulders relax in relief, I won't be doing _all _the talking.

"Are you, descendants to anyone here?" She elaborates quickly.

"Nope. Muggle through and through." Steph grins. Hermione's face blanks.

"But- but you've done magic, you can't be muggles."

"Where we grew up, Harry Potter is a very popular book and film series, magic doesn't exist." Gregor, ever the factual, puts in.

"Then how have you done magic?"

"We don't know, must have been something the guy who brought us here did." I say with a shrug. Hermione turns to me, eyes sparkling as she readies the next question.

"What's the patronus?" She asks, I groan, I should have known it was coming.

"It is a projection of ones feelings, specifically their happy feelings. It can be used to ward of Dementors or to pass along messages quickly." I tell her, she bounces a bit in her seat.

"Can I see it?"

I look to the others, but no one steps up.

"You do remember the last time I cast it, right?" I ask them, they nod.

"Yes, but we haven't attempted, and might not be able to manage it." Megan shrugs.

"You're telling me you're all depressed?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"No, we're just not stupid enough to try something that reckless." Adam supplies, I glare at him then smirk and turn to Steph.

"You a Gryff, you can be reckless!" I tell her. She shrugs and agrees.

"Together, though."

"Agreed, on the count of three." I say, Megan begins the count down.

"Three" I remember my eighteenth birthday, all six of us laughing in the cinema.

"Two" I picture throwing an old orange around school, seeing how long till it breaks.

"One."

"Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum!"


	32. Chapter 32 - Public Confrontations

Finding my eyes shut, I slowly open them and look down.

In front of me is a white silver shadow, with slightly darker patches around the nose and ears. Tj. A grin splits across my face as I bend down, opening my arms in welcome.

Tj bounds over to me, knocking me down and giving me warm but dry kisses. Laughing, I push him off and turn to Steph.

She and a shadow of white are circling each other. I concentrate on the white and gasp.

"That's not fair." I pout, turning to Tj. "How come she gets a lion and I get you?" Tj's head flicks to the side as he looks up at me, I grin and hug the shadow, "no lion is more scary than you big boy." I finish, then turn back to Hermione.

"This is a patronus." I inform her.

"What was the incantation?" She asks, pulling her wand out excitedly.

"It's not that easy," I warn her, "you need to think happy thoughts, not just ones that make you feel good, but ones that full you with joy and contentment."

"What do you think of?" She asks.

"Hanging out with this lot." I tell her, waving my arms towards the others. Hermione turns to Steph questionably.

"Being with my mum and dad." She answers. Finally bending down and allowing the lion to come towards her, it sniffs at her hand, rubs its nose against her and then vanishes.

Turning back to Tj, I bend down to give him a hug, "tell everyone I miss them." I whisper into his ear as he vanishes.

"What else do you want to know?" Megan asks Hermione as Steph and I take our seats.

"Isn't it time for tea?" Adam asks, I turn to give him the stink eye.

"I think tea is a good idea." Hermione agrees.

"But you have barely learnt anything." I protest as I'm left sitting on the bench.

"I know you don't mean harm. That all I need to know." Hermione answers.

"You are one strange eleven year old." I decide as I get up to follow.

We are silent as we traverse down the stairs, each thinking our own thoughts.

Entering the Great Hall, I stop at the sight of the five tables, blue, yellow, red, green and black.

"Second major change begins now." I snap, sensing Steph's eye roll and Megan's disapproving shake of her head.

"Don't cause a scene Emma." Hannah warns me, "Your hair attracts enough attention."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Steph and I frown as one, turning to give Hannah identical glares.

"It's a bit on the bright side, don't you think?"

"What, I'm not bright enough to show it in my hair?" I ask, stepping back, eyes wide, and mouth pitched downwards. "You dare insult my intelligence?"

"Did I hear that right?" Gregor asks, appearing with Adam behind him, "you think you have an actual capacity to intellectual thoughts?" I slap his shoulder and turn to stomp up towards the head table, the entire halls eyes on me now.

"Miss Nelson?" White beard asks as I stop at his table.

"Sir." I nod. "The house elf's say I need your permission to get them to add a sixth table into the hall." I say, loudly and clearly.

"And why would you need a sixth table?"

"A table for inter house seating." I inform him, smiling brightly.

"I don't think I can allow that, Miss Nelson." Sparkles informs me, my smile becomes fixed.

"Why not?" My voice rings through the silent hall.

"The house tables have been a tradition from the time of the founders." Dumbledore answers, in a grave, I am smarter than you voice. Behind me whispers break out.

"Tradition? You are not allowing house unity because of TRADITION!?" I ask, voice rising, I stop and take a deep breathe before continuing.

"Did you know the muggles had a tradition to enslave half the country? You know why? Because their SKIN was a different colour. It was tradition for a differently skinned person to be a slave. You think that tradition was kept because founders decided it? Witches would be burnt as tradition, you think that still happens? People would be executed through tradition. Do these traditions still stand? No! Black people have equal rights, because MUGGLES, stupid, bumbling muggles figured black people are the same and tradition is stupid. Witches are not burned anymore as tradition was realized as stupid. Executions don't happen. You know why? Those puny, idiotic, mindless muggles are smarter than all of you, change is needed to develop society, not tradition. Tradition involves mistakes that need to be fixed."

I open my mouth to take in a breathe, but behind me a bunch of pupils clap, cheering me on, I take a rough guess that they are the muggleborn's of the school populace.

Flicking my eyes to the side, I see the Slytherins looking at me with a touch of respect, whispering amongst themselves.

"Miss Nelson! You will not speak to the Headmaster in that tone."

I turn to McGonagall.

"I like you, Minnie, don't make me start on you too." I warn, eyes narrowed.

"Follow me." Dumbledore tells me, getting up from his King seat.

"No. Whatever you say to me you can say to everyone else.

"Detention, Miss Nelson." The hall rings silent as my muscles tense, I can feel power surging in the air around us and realize vaguely that I am most likely experiencing a bout of accidental magic, that's supposed to end at about ten for normal wizards.

"No."

"No?"

"No. I will not accept a detention from some meddling old coot who won't allow change to be seen in his school. A school that's supposed to be the best in the world but whose Defense teacher is barely understandable, History teacher bores the class to sleep and Caretaker who constantly belittles and threatens teenagers who are in the most sensitive part of their lives." I inform him slowly. "We will have the sixth table and we will improve the state of this school or lord help me you will regret the day you crossed me."

Thankfully, a silencing charm appears to have been put up between Sparkles and I, letting the rest of the school see us arguing but not hear the words, a bit of dignity for Sparkles.

"Your decision?" I ask, seeing my eyes blazing in the half-moon spectacles as I look him dead on, daring him to falsify my claims.

"A sixth table will be added for tomorrow morning." Dumbledore concedes, "And you will never talk to me in that tone again or you will be out of this school before you can say "future.""

"If you deserve it, I will speak to you how I see fit. Respect is earned, Headmaster, not given. And so far you have done little to show me you deserve any."

I spin around on my heal and trip.

Face red, I head back towards Gryffindor table with a satisfied smile and begin to eat, refusing to answer any questions posed to me.

Once finished eating, I get up and head towards the Dungeons, interested in what Bat man wants. He calls me in seconds after I knock.


	33. Chapter 33 - Chats with the Bat

Taking a seat in front of Snape's desk, I get comfy before turning to look at him, firmly keeping my eyes on his greasy head, ignoring his pitch black eyes.

"I assume you remember I refused another detention with you," I begin civically.

"And yet here you are." Mr. Bat informs me. I nod.

"Here I am."

"I heard your confrontation with Mr. Malfoy earlier." Bat adds.

"Malfoy is an arrogant prat, but that doesn't mean he should face what Voldemort does to him." Bat nods his head slowly, considering my words. Suddenly getting an idea, I change topics.

"Can I ask you a question?" Bat raises an eyebrow, which I take as an acceptance.

"Have you seen Harry's eyes?" Snape's raised eyebrow furrows in anger. "I'll take that as yes." I mumble with an eye roll. "He's not James' son."

"What-" Snape try's to snap but I interrupt him.

"Lilly held him within her for 9months. Lily breastfed him. Lily would have put him to bed most nights. He is Lilly's son as much as he is James'.

"Lilly's son-" Snape snarls.

"Yeah yeah, with James' body. Whatever. Lilly's son has been neglected all his life." I state firmly. Snape does not reply, stone hard features frozen. "He has been malnourished, and maltreated. Lilly's baby boy."

"He's a-"

"Don't you dare," I warn, voice cold, "don't you dare tell me he's a mirror of his father. His father was a pampered spoiled bullying toe-rag. Harry is a young boy who has known no love all his life."

This time, I look straight into Snape's eyes, expression hard.

"Would Lilly have ever allowed her son to become a bully? She would have got her son to be academic and smart and fun. But he is unloved, unsure of himself and lost."

Snape remains silent.

"And he was this close to being a Slytherin."

That got a reaction. I have to night my tongue to stop from laughing as Snape's throws his body back in shock, toppling his seat and falling back, his feet in the air.

"Want some help?" I ask in one breathe, covering my face as I try desperately to keep the laughing in.

"Out."

"You invited me here," I inform him, "and now you're getting rid of me? Talk about mixed signals!" Rolling my eyes, I get up and leave, listening to the shuffling as Snape gets back up and levitates his chair back.

Swinging the door not quite closed behind me, I stand at the crack and listen.

"Slytherin?" Snape is muttering, "Potter a Slytherin, she's having me on, messing with me." Snape is silent for a bit, like he's listening to a reply.

"Lily's boy." This is said with such regret and sadness, I turn and leave, convinced Snape is going to begin crying and not wanting to be a part of it.

Taking my time wanders through the halls, I notice immediately when am being followed, the tingle on my neck and the echoing footsteps giving it away.

I dive into the next corridor and stop, listening as the footsteps come closer.

Draco Malfoy steps out, slightly startled to see me standing there. I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Who are you?" He asks, standing up straight, superior expression back.

"Emma Nelson." I answer immediately. Draco scowls.

"Where did you come from, my father has never heard of the Nelson family."

"Well," I start, "when my mummy and daddy decided they loved each other very much, they stripped their clothes, got in bed together-"

"STOP!" Draco screeches, I smirk.

"People usually stop me LONG before I get to that part," I inform him, "and it's more like they got very drunk and ended up in bed."

"Are you a Mudblood?" I frown, acting all the part of confused and take out my wand.

"Reducto!" I state clearly, pointing the hand at my finger.

I misjudged the power of the spell.

Looking at the tip of my finger, I make a point of lifting it to my eyes.

"Nope, doesn't look muddy to me." I tell the now extremely pale Malfoy heir. "I think I should go see Madame Pomfrey." I add weakly, looking around to get my bearings and then headed back and down the next hall.

Five mi Utes later and a trail of blood following me, I find the infirmary and knock on the door, beginning to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Madame Pomfrey answers.

"Good heavens child! What have you done to yourself?"

"I was proving my blood wasn't muddy." I tell her weakly.

"By chopping off the top of your finger?" She asks, grabbing my by the uninjured arm and dragging me in, sitting me on the bed closest to the door. "Wait here."

Pomfrey heads over to a cabinet and begins pulling dark vials out. I take the time to admire my left middle finger.

Only about half a centimeter has been taking off, enough to reveal the white tip of a bone, my nail is cracked in half, with the top half hanging on by a thread, blood has begun to clot already.

After drinking three disgusting tasting potions, Pomfrey waves her wand over my finger, making a bandage appear.

A quick warning to never try that again and I am sent away to head back to the common room.


	34. Chapter 34 - Getting to Know the Roomate

Arriving uninterrupted this time to the dorm room, I give the fat lady portrait thingy the password and step in.

The common room is quiet. Steph and Hermione are sitting at a table opposite the portrait doing homework, Harry and Ron are chatting quietly next to the fire. A handful of sixth years are placed around the room, working silently. Dean and Seamus are in the floor, a pack of cards in front of them. Neville is in a corner by himself reading what I guess, is a plant book.

Where to go?

I decide to take the spare seat next to Hermione and Steph, but look towards Ron and Harry.

"Ron, a little birdie told me you were good at chess?"

"Yeah, I am, why?" Ron replies, looking up from Harry and turning to face me, I grin.

"Fancy teaching me to improve?" Ron's face lights up and he gets up from his seat, dashing up the stairs. "Sorry Harry," I add sadly, he looks at me blankly. "I took your buddy away,"

"It's okay, I can't play chess to save my life, and he's asked me a few times already." Harry informs me quietly I smile at him.

"Wanna come over here and watch me be destroyed? Hermione and Steph could help you on homework too." Harry shrugs and gets up, going to a table and picking up two chairs, dragging them over to us. He sits one opposite me and the other next to Steph which he takes, opening his bag.

Ron comes stampeding back down the stairs and chooses the seat next to me, nodding in acceptance of Hermione and Steph.

"Hermione?" I ask, she looks up at me, dipping her quill back into the pot of ink. "Can I call you 'Mione? Constantly thinking HERmione is tiring out my inner voice." Hermione looks at me blankly.

"Just nod and agree," Steph stage whispers, "trust me, you don't want to hear her reasoning's,"

Hermione does so and I grin, "Thanks,"

Turning back to Ron, I see he has already laid out the chess sets, showing black towards me. We begin the game.

My chess pieces apparently don't like me much. Ron does though.

It's an easy enough win for him, but he still had to stop and think it through a few times. I consider it a win in my book.

"Good game," I nod to Ron as he packs the figures back up.

"You weren't too bad yourself." He answers, I smile and turn to Steph, taking my stuff out my bag as I do.

"You done your work yet Ron?" I ask as Steph passes over her notes, I begin to read through them, making notes of my own on another piece of parchment.

"No." He answers shortly, I look up to see him glancing at 'Mione's work.

"'Mione?" She looks up at me, placing her finger at her place in the book. "You wanna lend Ron a hand?"

"No, I can-" Ron starts but I glare at him.

"'Mione, if you just answer any question a he has, nicely, not condescendingly." Harry and Ron look blank, 'Mione looks hurt.

"It means not to be bossy when explaining things." I say to Harry and Ron, "we all know you are really smart 'Mione, but you need to tone it down. The point of school is for those who don't know the answer to learn it. If you keep answering everything, no one else will learn because they are not getting the chance to answer wrongly." I add to 'Mione. Who huffs but turns to Ron.

"I can do good." I grin to Steph as I hand her notes back and get to work on my essay for Flitwick labeling the properties of the Flying spell.

About half an hour later, I put my quill down with a cramping wrist and look around. Spotting Neville, I brighten at the prospect of procrastination and jump up, walking over to him, now half way through the same book.

"Wotcher Neville." I call happily as I plonk down next to him, he glances up from his book and smiles tentatively at me. "Whatcha up to?"

"Reading." Neville answers. I roll my eyes.

"Last I checked, I wasn't blind." Neville blanks me, continuing to read, I can almost feel the tension coming off him. "C'mon Neville, we're gonna be in the same classes for seven years, May as well break the ice now."

Still no answer.

"Ok. How about I start? Hi, my names Emma, I'm a Gryffindor and all my friends tell me I'm insane. I think they've said it enough at this point that I'm beginning to believe it. Defence would be my favorite class if Mr. Quirrelmort wasn't teaching it. I also enjoy Transfiguration and Herbology."

I sit bay and look at Neville.

"You're supposed to put the book down at this point." I inform him. He places the book on his lap, keeping his finger in his page. "And ten introduce yourself."

"I'm Neville." He tells me. I smile wildly and twist my body so I am fully facing him, ensuring he knows he has my full attention. "I really enjoy Herbology."

"I like it too, but the plants constantly trying to suffocate me is a tad annoying." I agree, "Have you ever planted Muggle flowers?" I then ask.

"Some, I like the roses, I have several of them and rhododendrons at my house." he informs me, I grin at having started a conversation.

But it is cut short by a pecking in the window. The common room goes silent.

A seventh year gets up with a sigh to open the window, a small, tawny owl flies in, hovers and then heads to me.

Feeling the eyes of everyone on me, I reach up and take the letter from the Owls claw, watching as it immediately flies back out the window.

"Express delivery?" I ask as I turn it over, seeing a wax seal and ripping it off before beginning to read.

_Dear Miss Nelson and co. _

_The trail of Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black took place yesterday after noon. _

_Peter Pettigrew was found guilty of man slaughter and association with death eaters and has been sentenced to life in Azkaban. _

_Sirius Black has been charged with being an illegal animagus, and has been sentenced to a further five years in Azkaban. _

_We thank you for bringing this to our sights and helping towards keeping the law in hand. _

_Sincerely _

_Minister C Fudge. _

_"__**WHAT!?"**_


	35. Chapter 35 - Decisions

I become very much aware of everybody staring at me after my outburst, but I don't care.

"Hey," a seventh year pops up in front of me, kneeling down so we are face to face, "take deep breathes, you're having a bit of accidental magic right now, breathe in, and out. Nice and slow." Gritting my teeth at taking the advice of a woman a year younger than me, I do so, closing my eyes and concentrating on calming down, leaving the anger behind.

The room's temperature settles back to normal.

"Well done," the girl grins at me, "it's perfectly normal for this to happen, you just need to learn to recognize the signs and calm down before anything bad happens." Instead of arguing, I just nod my head and head towards the dorms, gesturing for Steph to follow me as I do.

"Emma-" I cut Steph if with a glare until we get into our dorm, Parvati and Lavender are already in, talking so I take Steph to my bed and sit on it.

"Silencio"

A faint buzzing is heard around us as I turn to Steph and give her my letter. I sit back, leaning against the head post as I watch her eyes flicker over the page, her lips becoming steadily thinner as she gets further down.

"He can't do that." Steph decides once she has finished reading, I reach under my bed for my bag, taking my Com book out.

"Apparently he can." I snarl, taking the letter from Steph. Quickly copying it word for word into the Com book for the others, I decidedly take out my wand, point it at the sheet and mutter my new favorite spell at it.

"Incendio" I grin happily as the piece of paper goes up in a quick flash of flames then falls to the floor, reduced to simple ashes.

"Damn him!" I snarl, "Damn that egotistical bastard!"

"Emma," I turn to Steph, "we have a reply. I look down at the Com Book sitting in my lap.

_Megan: what!? He can't do that! _

_Hannah: no way! He's already served ten years! _

_Gregor: that's not fair, Sirius is innocent. _

_Megan: it's just for his public image, isn't it? I'll bet it's not even in the paper tomorrow! _

_**Me: who do we all know that gets a paper? **_

_Megan: Susan does. _

Steph gets up and goes to her bed, taking her own com book out, she opens it and begins to write, I remove the silencing charm over my bed with a wave of my wand and draw my curtains.

**Me: Mione does.**

_Adam: Who the heck is Mione? _

**Me: isn't it obvious?**

_Adam: if it was, I wouldn't be asking. _

_Steph: Hermione. She's too lazy to think the full name. _

_Megan: what!? _

_Hannah: seriously Emma? _

**Me: stop ganging up on me!**

_Gregor: stop making yourself a target. _

**Me: how about we write to the paper then?**

_Megan: huh? _

**Me: Sirius. Still in jail. Proven innocent. Ring any bells? **

_Megan: oh, right. We got a bit off topic. _

**Me: Gregor? You wanna help write it? **

_Gregor: why me? _

_Steph: you're the smart one. _

_Gregor: not when it comes to politics._

**Me: oh ok. ADAM!**

_Adam: what? _

**Me: I'm pretty sure you know what. **

_Adam: I don't know squat about magical politics. _

**Me: great. Real helpful. **

_Hannah: what about Megan? _

_Megan: oh no you don't! Don't drag me into this. _

**Me: alright. I will work on a letter tonight and send it to the Prophet. **

_Adam: sounds good to me. _

_Megan: how are you going to send it? _

_Steph: it was Ron's rat, he still doesn't know what happened to it. We'll tell him and tell Harry at the same time. _

**Me: and we can borrow Hedwig. **

Plan made, I shut my book and reach over, half hanging out my bed to find some parchment.

Five copies later, my eyes are stinging and so I pop it on my nightstand and settle into bed, closing my eyes.

They snap back open a second later.

My clothes are still on. With a groan, I get out of bed, grab my Jamie's from under the pillow, put them on, and then resettle back in bed.

_We'll get you out, Sirius, I promise._


	36. Chapter 36 - A Guest Runner

The next morning, I am somehow up first again. I get dressed, then silently walk over to Steph's bed to wake her up. Before I can pull the red curtains aside, however, a voice interrupts me.

"Where do you go this early?" I turn to see Hermione sitting up in bed, a book in hand.

"We run around the Quidditch Pitch." I answer, turning from Steph's bed to fully face 'Mione.

"Why?" She asks.

"With coming back to these bodies, we have the amount of power we would have had at 18," I answer truthfully, hoping Parvati and Lavender are sleeping, "so we need to work on strengthening our bodies to be able to cope with our magical cores."

"Oh." She answers, then puts her book down and looks back at me, shoulders tense, I frown, _why is she suddenly nervous?_ "Can I join you?"

I blink at her. _Had not expected that. _"Uh of course. You do realise it's a LOT of running, right?" I ask.

"Yes." She answers, perking up. _Anxiety? Hermione suffers from Social anxiety? _I ask myself as I turn back to Steph's bed again, _well,_ I shrug, _she never made any friends in her muggle schools because of how she is, so it would make sense. _

"Steph!" I whisper yell. She groans. But doesn't awaken. "Steph," I try again. "You've got to the count of three then I'm soaking you."

"One." She still refuses to stir.

"Two," I get my wand out of my back pocket where I keep it stored.

"Three. Augumenti!" A jet of cold water runs out the end of my wand.

Steph awakens.

"I did warn you." I say whilst quickly backing away from the gingers glare.

"She did." 'Mione adds from behind me.

"Get ready, we gotta go running, 'Mione's joining us." I say as I head for the door, hearing Hermione's footsteps behind me.

"You think Ron and Harry would join us?" I ask 'Mioneas we reach the empty Common Room.

"I don't know." She replies, going to sit on the couch. "Why?"

"I need to tell Ron something. And one is never seen without the other so..." Hermione looks at me but I shrug.

"What are you doing up this early, anyways?" I ask as I take a stance next to the door.

"Couldn't sleep." She answers shortly. I look at her, she's looking away from me, lips titled down.

"Homesick?" I ask as we begin to hear Steph making her way down.

Hermione doesn't answer, she just looks at me with a sad smile. "I am too, well- time sick." I inform her. "I left a sister back home. And my dogs."

"Ready?" Steph asks coming in. I grin and nod, Hermione gets up.

"Are we allowed out this early?" She asks as we leave and begin heading down the many sets of stairs.

"Well," I start, dragging out the word, "considering Dumbledore and Pomfrey both ordered this..."

"They did!?" Hermione asks, sounding surprised. I shrug and nod.

As we round the next corner, we spot Adam and Gregor coming around the other end. I grin.

"Heya boys!" I shout as they get closer.

"Did you write that letter, Emma?" Gregor gets straight to the point as soon as he is in talking distance.

"I'm good this morning, Gregor, what about you?" I ask with a smirk. He glares at me. "Yes. I wrote the letter." I finish with a sigh.

"What letter?" Hermione asks, speeding up to walk next to me down the stairs.

"I'm a bit mad at Fud- the minister," I quickly fix, "so I'm writing a letter to the Prophet to complain."

"Your writing to the paper about a complaint with the minister of magic?" She asks me. I nod. "What about?" She asks.

"He got proof a man was wrongly put in prison ten years ago, but found reason to put him BACK in prison to save on publicity."

Hermione just blinks. "But - if he's innocent-"

"One thing you have to learn about the magical world Hermione, they care more about public image than actual justice."

"That's wrong." She informs me.

"Don't I know it." I agree.

We arrive outside to see Megan and Hannah are already at the pitch.

After chatting for a while, we get to running, every one, minus Adam, generally at the same pace.

Whilst running, I get yet another of my brilliant ideas.

"Megan?" I ask, slowing down to run next to her, "how many Hufflepuffs are Muggle born or half?"

"Uh I don't know."

"Hannah?" I call, she turns to look at me, "do you know how many 'Puffs are Muggle born or half?"

"No, not really." I glare at her.

"You two are useless." I inform them before running ahead to get in line with Gregor, Steph and 'Mione. "Gregor, how many 'Claws are Muggle born or half?"

"Don't know," he shrugs, "they don't really speak to me."

"The lot of you are USELESS!" I shout.

"Why do you want to know?" Steph asks, I grin.

"We're gonna play a game."

"What game?" Megan quiestions worriedly.

"Rounders!" I shout, up ahead, Adam turns and runs back towards us.

"Dos someone mention Rounders?" He asks once close enough to not have to shout.

"Yup." I answer, "I'm gonna get as many first years to play it as possible."

"Sorry," Hermione puts in, "what's rounders?"

I stare at her.

Adam stares at her.

Here for stares at her.

Steph and Hannah roll there eyes.

Megan answers her, "it's rounders."

"You English people and stupid cultural speaking." I fake hiss, Hermione grins before turning serious again.

"We have homework to complete over the weekend, we can't spend time outside playing a silly game."

"Hermione. There are forty eight hours in a weekend. We are not gonna spend that long -" my grin widens and my eyes go bright as another idea forms.

"We can do a homework study session when we are done playing. That'll get the 'Claws and smart people in on it. And the others can get help with their work."

"Okay. So Hannah and I round up the 'Puffs to come outside by, what? Ten o' clock?" Megan asks, I nod in response. "Gregor and Adam get the 'Claws out being sure to mention the homework study session, you and Steph-" I shake my head.

"Steph will get the Gryffs, I'll go down and see if I can get any Slytherins to join."

"You really think any of them will join in a Muggle game?" Hannah asks me.

"Well, we can try and change the rules around to add in some magic, then say it's a foreign wizard game."

"That might work, but what rules? Rounders is quite self explanatory as it is."

"Well," Adam starts, "let's go over the rules, and see how we can adapt them"

Just then, we finish our run and, instead of heading inside to breakfast, we sit down to plan.


End file.
